Ugandan Siamese Twins Find New Home

Dec 11, 2002

THE austere stare of poverty ushers one on to the compound of Gordon Onziga, father of the Ugandan Siamese twins.

By Sidney Miria
and Raphael Okello

THE austere stare of poverty ushers one on to the compound of Gordon Onziga, father of the Ugandan Siamese twins. Swathes of tall grass threatening to cover the path towards the homestead, line the whole length of the route. Four huts built in square design are spread out on the vacant and silent compound.
The main house does not have window shutters. Red bricks have instead been used to seal the space meant for window shutters. Behind the main house lies a lavatory, hidden in a bushy cassava garden. The pit has no walls and roof. A dry crust of human dung sits coiled on one end of its mouth.
This is the home where Christine and Louise may have to live for the greater part of their childhood and adolescence. But for now they are taking shelter at Welcome Home Children's Centre in Jinja.
Margaret Atai, their mother, is very shy and speaks timidly. She only reveals what she feels comfortable about, yet softly restrains from talking about the things that make her uneasy.
She says she was helped by a traditional birth attendant to deliver her first-born daughter Noel, 5, at her father’s home in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. “When I was due, the second time, my husband sent me yet again to deliver at my parent’s home, which is less than 16 kilometres away from Leiko,” she says.
“But this time I had difficulty in delivering, the birth attendant says three legs came out first, so my parents rushed me to Adi hospital from where I delivered the twins through caesarean section,” she adds.
At Welcome Home Children’s Centre, the twins Christine and Louise are playing on a colourful mat spread in the middle of the spacious living room at the orphanage. Their mother, moves up and down in an effort to restrain them from going outside to tamper with electrical gadgets.
Atai, turns on the demo of a toy keyboard which works like magic. The gentle rhythm compels the twins to crawl back hastily. Christine springs to her feet and gently swings in coherence with the rhythm. Louise equally fascinated but unable to lift herself up remains down clapping and nodding her head.
The music stops suddenly. A tinge of disappointment clouds their faces. One of us clicks a camera and the flash enchants the twins. They crawl towards us and coo ecstatically — asking for another shot. Their thrill and sincere sweet little smiles are so touching. The camera clicks yet again to their delight.
“They got used to having their pictures taken when we were in America. They love the flash of a camera,” Atai says.
Back in Arua, the twins had never spent a night in their father’s house. Instead, they sought refuge in the cosy comfort of De’lambience hotel in Koboko town about six kilometres away.
“We did not sleep at home because we were so scared about the safety and health of the children. People who knew, that we had just returned from America flocked to our home. Some thought we had come with a lot of things and money confronted me with their problems and needs,” Onziga their father says, without a hint of resentment.
When Louise and Christine, were flown to Leiko village in Arua after a year in America, extended family members were under the impression that their father, had struck it rich abroad.
So they flocked to their homestead, which is tucked about 2 kilometres away from the main road to Koboko Township. Their continued presence in the home posed an imminent difficulty for the parents to fend for the twins. One and a half weeks later, they were flown to Jinja.
Dr. Margaret Nakakeeto, a paediatrician at Mulago hospital says that she asked Onziga to bring the twins to Jinja because she foresaw a possibility of him failing to provide the care and attention they require under such circumstances. She explains that the twins need a gradual transition from the American lifestyle to the one in their village.
“The paediatrician assigned to monitor the kids in Arua is a very busy person who has a wide area to cover. Considering that the twins are still fragile and need close attention, I figured it was better for them to return to Kampala for a year or so,” Nakakeeto says.
Isaac Gubazi, the grandfather of the twins lives about 100 metres away from Onziga’s homestead. A kraal that has a bony cow and calf lie on one end of his homestead.
He says, long before his birth there were twins in their lineage. However, when Christine and Louise were born, they were afraid because they did not know whether the twins would lead a normal life.
“The birth of the twins greatly changed my daily routine, instead of going to the garden I began shuttling between home and hospital,” Onziga their father recounts.
“My fundraising programmes to re-roof Ngurupi Church of Uganda were grounded. I also shelved plans to go for further studies. Then our first-born-daughter, Noel bore the greatest brunt, because she had to be taken to my in-laws in Congo,” he added.
Onziga is a peasant subsistence farmer who etches a living from fragmented pieces of land that amount to less than six acres. On his land he grows cassava, beans, rice, groundnuts, sweet potatoes and at times onions and cabbages.
“The twins were born at a time when I had passed an interview to join the next stage for craftsmanship at Oleba Community Technical Institute,” he says.
I have plans to establish a coffee shamba to boost my annual income. As the dry season sets in, I will lay bricks for sale. With these wonder kids, I need to work doubly hard to ensure that they get the right food and the best education. I am told that the twins will stay with their mother in Jinja maybe for the next one year. During this time, I will miss them but hope to pay them regular visits.
Rev. Jackie Hodgkin, head of the twins’ new found home in Jinja, says: “They are adjusting well from American to the African food. They eat like other normal kids do. I give them rice and beans, milk porridge, bananas among other fruits and foods.”
Their mother says the twins relished apple sauce and baby food salads, while in America, as she strokes and kisses Louise who passionately clings on to her neck. Christine jealously crawls towards them and ‘spoils’ Louise’s reverie. Using her mother for support, she drags her small body up and insistently grapples for a kiss too.
“This one always competes for attention,” Atai remarks.
Christine appears somewhat naughty and mischievous but intriguing and exciting to watch. Louise is pleasantly compassionate but withdrawn. Her mother seems to have a softer spot for her.
“Christine disturbs me a lot. Whenever she is alone, she wanders all over the place and likes touching things,” she says.
People in the village were excited to see the twins separated. They tried to carry them but the twins rejected them.
“Christine slapped and scratched whoever dared carry her. They are most comfortable around whites,” Atai narrates amidst spasms of laughter and smiles.
Their behaviour is only understandable. The twins spent almost the entire first year of their lives in the US. At some point during that period, Atai longed to return home.
“We had stayed in America for over a year and I had become terribly homesick,” she says, smiling and looking down as if embarrassed about something.
“I never went to school. I am just a full time housewife and my husband is a peasant farmer who dropped out in senior one. We need financial assistance to look after the twins,” she says.
At this point of the interview, Christine smacks Louicse in the face as they struggle for the toy keyboard. Louise cries and Atai takes time off to calm her down.
“Sometimes after crying, Louise retaliates but they later reconcile,” Atai chips in.
Hodgkin says that the twins are just like other normal twins one is always domineering, but they like playing with each other. They are sweet little kids.
They seem comfortable with the lifestyle they have found in Jinja and their mother would like them to continue living that way.
“All I want is for the kids to be educated and have a good life.”
Ends

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});