Jane Atieno, a Nairobi resident, describes reliving traumatic memories of 2008 election violence that killed her husband, Ochieng Okumu, as she faces eviction from Mukuru slums and struggles to support three children.
Atieno, who sells fried fish at an Imara Daima market, recalls her husband's death on January 3, 2008, when he was shot by police during demonstrations on Jogoo Road. She learned of his critical condition through a friend and later confirmed his death at Kenyatta National Hospital. "We had just lived together for slightly over seven years. Our first born was about six years and the other two were very young," she said, fighting back tears.
Now evicted from Mukuru slums, Atieno resides at a Legio Maria church in Diamond area. She has not voted since 2008, stating the political season "robbed me of my husband" and no support followed. "No man can replace him," she said of Okumu, who ran a small business and served at the church.
Her children include a daughter who graduated secondary school in 2019 and another in Form Two. A third child with medical needs is now in Class Seven. Father Jackson Khamusi Imbiakha, who has known Atieno since 2009, described her as "a dedicated and hardworking woman" facing challenges that require support to rebuild her life.
