This archive report was first published on 21 July 2019.
On June 7, 2019, tragedy struck in Budalangi when a 7-year-old boy named Sidney Mambala was run over by a car belonging to Deputy President William Ruto.
DP Ruto had visited the area to launch a KSh 5.8 billion 10,000-acre Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project.
Following the accident, DP Ruto's communication aide Emmanuel Talaam pledged to support the family financially.
"I have tried calling him but my phone is not being received. It's very painful to lose a child in such a manner," said the deceased's father Felix Mambala.
DP Ruto had promised to help the family in several ways, including building them a new house, securing a job for Felix, and providing financial support for Mambala's mother Elizabeth Akinyi's hairdressing business.
However, the family is yet to receive any compensation, and the case is still pending in court.
"Whether the compensation comes or not, I am sure it will not erase the pain. Even if I give birth to another kid, I will still have memories of the deceased," said Akinyi as she fought tears.
"I am very sure that if he would have not come to Budalangi, then my child wouldn't have died," she added.
