A 36-year-old pregnant woman is shivering inside a hollow baobab tree trunk on a cold morning.
It is drizzling and she is surrounded by her four children. What started as a normal disagreement between Juliet Samba and her inlaws has now culminated in her expulsion from the family, prompting her to seek refuge in the forest alongside her husband and four children.
The woman from Kirutai in Voi constituency, Taita Taveta, has shocked residents after staying for months in a makeshift house inside a tree trunk in the middle of the forest. She is seven months pregnant.
She says they decided to leave their ancestral home in Mwachunyi, a few kilometres away following constant harassment by in-laws.
She said her in-laws started harassing her soon after her marriage a decade ago. Her mother in-law has been mistreating her children, hence traumatising them.
“I have suffered enough from my mother-in-law who has been harassing me and my children every day. I felt that we are not safe at home, so my husband and I decided to seek refuge here,” sobbing Samba told the Star in an interview.
In the makeshift house inside a fallen baobab trunk, the family lacks bedding and other necessities. They have spent countless nights shivering, hoping for a better dawn when their dream to own a decent house shall come to pass. She says they depend on charcoal burning to buy food and water and keep the family going.
"Life is so difficult here. We have no clean water and we hardly get food for our children. Our children are even suffering more from the cold nights, especially now that it is raining,” Samba said.
She appealed to well-wishers to help her get a better house and save them from effects of downpours currently pummelling the area.
When the Star visited her, the husband had already left for his daily charcoal burning work in the rangelands. The man has always stood by her wife even when they had problems with the inlaws and were kicked out.
She said her husband has always supported the family with the little he earns from charcoal trade. When hey had no shelter, he set up the tree trunk to accommodate his family. He is their sole breadwinner.
“After months of harassment and humiliation, my husband helped us get out of the family to a safer place. He has been there for us every day,” she said.
Her 14-year old firstborn son is also being groomed to take up the roles of leading the family as he also participates in charcoal burning and other casual labour.
What worries Samba though is her pregnancy, which is due in two months. She has not been to any hospital for any checkup. The nearest dispensary is in Kambito, over 10 kilometres away and as she says, she will have to undergo a caesarean section just like her previous deliveries.
On Thursday, officials from Kenya Red Cross accompanied by residents from Kirutai village visited the woman with tents and foodstuffs.
Bonface Mwangura, the village elder, promised to mobilise villagers to construct a house for the family. He described the state as shocking, promising to help the family reconcile so they can live in peace.