A woman from Mombasa has come forward with an emotional appeal as she searches for the man who fathered her son more than two decades ago, hoping he can help rescue the young man’s stalled future.
Juliet Awuor, a mother of several children, says she has raised her firstborn alone since infancy after the child’s father walked away shortly after the relationship ended. Now 21 years later, she says life’s hardships have left her unable to support her son’s long-held dream of joining the police service.
Juliet revealed that she became pregnant while still living under her parents’ roof. Fearing disappointing them, she moved in with the man’s family in Migadini, Mombasa, hoping to build a future together.
Instead, she says life there was full of hardship.
“I struggled a lot. I was treated more like a househelp than a family member,” she recalled.
Her situation came to light when a friend of her parents spotted her living conditions and alerted them. Not long after, the relationship collapsed, and Juliet was left alone with an eight-month-old baby.
Determined to give her child a chance in life, Juliet took up odd jobs to educate her son through secondary school. Despite the struggle, he completed Form Four and later developed a strong desire to join the police service.
However, his dream has remained out of reach.
“He has gone for recruitment three times and failed. He has stayed at home for three years now with no job,” Juliet said.
She believes reconnecting with his father could open doors she can no longer access on her own.
“Maybe his dad can guide him or help him succeed where I’ve failed,” she added.
Juliet’s situation worsened after she fell seriously ill following an injury from a poisonous palm tree. In a desperate attempt to raise money for treatment and start a business, she sold a piece of land in Tana River for KSh 50,000.
Sadly, most of the money went into medical care.
“My leg was badly swollen and later burst. I used everything for treatment,” she said.
Although she has since recovered and started a small business, income remains unstable, making it difficult to support her children’s education.
Juliet says the only information she has about her son’s father is his name — Feisal Mumbua — and that he hails from Ukambani. She recalls that he once expressed interest in taking the baby to visit his family for blessings, but it never happened.
The last time she saw him was by chance on the streets of Mombasa, where they briefly spoke and he gave her some money before disappearing again.
“That was the last time,” she said quietly.
Beyond her adult son, Juliet is also struggling to educate her younger children. One is yet to join Grade 10, while another is currently in PP1, adding to her financial burden.
Despite everything, Juliet says she still hopes her appeal will reach the right person and give her son a second chance at life.
By tuko