This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
Joyful Reunion for Nakuru Family After 12-Year Search ¶
On November 14, 2019, a 16-year-old girl, Joyce Wanjiru, was finally reunited with her grandmother, Joyce Irungu, after a 12-year search.
Wanjiru went missing from the Nakuru Showground, where her grandmother had taken refuge with other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) after the 2007 post-election violence.
Irungu, 60, had been searching for her granddaughter since she was four years old, when she was rescued by police and taken to a children's centre in Kajiado County.
Efforts to reunite the two were coordinated by the children's department in Nakuru and Tania Integrated Centre, a children's home in Kajiado County.
When Wanjiru finally returned home, Irungu was overcome with emotion, saying, 'My granddaughter, is that you? Unbelievable! Am I dreaming or is this real? Thank you God for answering my prayers.'
Wanjiru, who had been living in a children's home, said she was happy to meet her grandmother and other relatives after such a long time.
Before the reunion, there were tense moments when Wanjiru failed to recognize her grandmother, but eventually, she explained to her who she was.
Irungu's husband, John Irungu, was killed during the 2007 post-election violence, and she had been living with her family in Burnt Forest before the violence.
She was rescued together with her granddaughter by the police, who took them to the Nakuru Showground.
Irungu had visited several children's homes and was beginning to lose hope when she received a phone call from the children's department informing her Wanjiru was in Kajiado.
Wanjiru's return home was a joyous occasion for the family, and they were grateful to be reunited after such a long time.
