baby disowned over swollen lip
Jul 04, 2011
AT seven months, Naswifa Nambozo, the daughter of Hadija Mutesi, a resident of Bison slum, Tororo Municipality, Tororo district, is very active and cheerful.
By Moses Nampala
AT seven months, Naswifa Nambozo, the daughter of Hadija Mutesi, a resident of Bison slum, Tororo Municipality, Tororo district, is very active and cheerful.
Unlike other children her age, Nambozo can play with anyone who comes around and she will joyfully shout and wriggle on her mother’s lap to catch the attention of the new friend. But a close look at the baby reveals something pathetic.
Nambozo’s upper lip is swollen as though the little girl has been stung by the most lethal bee.
“It started as a small swelling, the size of a pimple, on her upper lip when she when she was four months old,†narrates her mother.
However, it was not long before Mutesi realised that the swelling was not ordinary.
“Every day, the swelling increased in size and has since not stopped growing,†she says.
Mutesi says they sought medical help at Tororo and Mbale hospitals, but the condition did not improve. They have now been referred to Mulago Hospital.
Dr. David Obonyo, the Tororo Hospital superintendent, says the cause of the ailment can only be established after a thorough investigation by a pathologist at Mulago.
He explains that a swelling could be the result of an unusual/rapid growth of cells at the affected part of the body.
“It is difficult to tell whether it is just an ordinary swelling or a cancerous tumour,†says Obonyo.
He adds that the problem may require a surgical operation, but the decision and the cost can only be determined after laboratory tests by specialised medical personnel.
Mutesi, who sells tomatoes in Tororo Central Market, is not only worried about the condition of her daughter, but also about the strain the swelling has put on her marriage.
Peter Wanyenze, the man she says is the father of her child, has since disowned the baby.
Wanyanze, a turn boy in Sudan, could not bear the sight of the disfigured baby when he visited his family last week.
“In our family, we do not have such abnormalities. The child is not mine. Take her to the father,†Wanyanze is reported to have told Mutesi before he left their home.
Sofi Nambala, the district officer in charge crime, says Mutesi reported the case to her office on Friday.
Mutesi says with her meager income, she cannot afford to take the baby to Mulago Hospital.
“Our only hope was that the baby’s father would offer some assistance, but he has now abandoned us and we cannot trace him,†she laments.
AT seven months, Naswifa Nambozo, the daughter of Hadija Mutesi, a resident of Bison slum, Tororo Municipality, Tororo district, is very active and cheerful.
Unlike other children her age, Nambozo can play with anyone who comes around and she will joyfully shout and wriggle on her mother’s lap to catch the attention of the new friend. But a close look at the baby reveals something pathetic.
Nambozo’s upper lip is swollen as though the little girl has been stung by the most lethal bee.
“It started as a small swelling, the size of a pimple, on her upper lip when she when she was four months old,†narrates her mother.
However, it was not long before Mutesi realised that the swelling was not ordinary.
“Every day, the swelling increased in size and has since not stopped growing,†she says.
Mutesi says they sought medical help at Tororo and Mbale hospitals, but the condition did not improve. They have now been referred to Mulago Hospital.
Dr. David Obonyo, the Tororo Hospital superintendent, says the cause of the ailment can only be established after a thorough investigation by a pathologist at Mulago.
He explains that a swelling could be the result of an unusual/rapid growth of cells at the affected part of the body.
“It is difficult to tell whether it is just an ordinary swelling or a cancerous tumour,†says Obonyo.
He adds that the problem may require a surgical operation, but the decision and the cost can only be determined after laboratory tests by specialised medical personnel.
Mutesi, who sells tomatoes in Tororo Central Market, is not only worried about the condition of her daughter, but also about the strain the swelling has put on her marriage.
Peter Wanyenze, the man she says is the father of her child, has since disowned the baby.
Wanyanze, a turn boy in Sudan, could not bear the sight of the disfigured baby when he visited his family last week.
“In our family, we do not have such abnormalities. The child is not mine. Take her to the father,†Wanyanze is reported to have told Mutesi before he left their home.
Sofi Nambala, the district officer in charge crime, says Mutesi reported the case to her office on Friday.
Mutesi says with her meager income, she cannot afford to take the baby to Mulago Hospital.
“Our only hope was that the baby’s father would offer some assistance, but he has now abandoned us and we cannot trace him,†she laments.