Help me raise Sh6m for third kidney transplant, Kenyan girl stranded in India appeals

A Kenyan girl stranded in India is seeking assistance from well-wishers to help her raise Sh6 million to undergo a third kidney transplant.

Fiona Wanjiku has been in India since March 2022 hoping that she will undergo the much-needed operation to save her life.

This is after the operation failed to take place twice due to lack of funds after they exhausted the money raised by family, friends and well-wishers to help her in her medication.

Wanjiku was scheduled to undergo the third transplant on December 28, 2023, but this could not take place due to lapse of her NHIF Edu Afya medical cover.

The operation was earlier scheduled to for July 28, but could also not take place. She is now set to undergo the transplant on January 8, 2024, if funds are available.

Despite the pain and agony, she is undergoing, she remains hopeful that she will recover as she appealed to Kenyans and well-wishers to come to her rescue.

In a video recorded by her father Walter Njoroge in her hospital bed in India, Wanjiku has also appealed to President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua to intervene and help her undergo the operation.

“I am begging and appealing to them and all Kenyans to help me finish my medication so that I can come back home,” Wanjiku said.

Wanjiku was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney failure when she was just six years.

She got her first kidney transplant from her father back in 2011 when she was 7 years old. Unfortunately, the kidney failed in 2018 and she was forced to undergo a second transplant to save her life.

In the process of waiting to undergo the surgery, her mother was overwhelmed and passed away in 2019 due to a heart attack, leaving behind Wanjiku and her younger brother Eldon (now 15).

She successfully underwent the surgery in February 2020, but two years later her body refused the kidney and was flown back to India in March last year with the hope of salvaging the kidney.

The kidney could not be saved, and she was forced to seek another donor to undergo a third kidney transplant.

“After getting the third donor, the funds had dwindled making it hard for the third operation to take place,” said Jayne Githere, a family friend.

“Our plea is that we do not have any money, it looks like without funds, Fiona, the father and the donor will be forced to come back to Kenya, and we wait for God’s will.” 

Githere was addressing the media in Mombasa on Friday as she appealed for Kenyans to help the family.

Before leaving for India last year, Fiona was a student at Star of the Sea Secondary School in Mombasa. She was set to sit her KCSE exams this year.

“She (Fiona) is a child who has been left behind in education just because of her sickness. We thank her fellow students at the school who have been very supportive helping to raise money for her medicine,” Githere said.

She said that despite NHIF ending the Edu Afya cover, the fund has come through for the family in the previous two operations.

Fiona’s father said that he has severally tried to reach out to government offices, but his efforts have borne no fruit though he remains hopeful help will come their way.

“We tried looking for the president during his recent visit to India, we met with members of his team, but we could not get to him,” he said.

“Hopefully the president will hear Fiona’s cry and help in bring her back home as we urge other Kenyans and well-wisher to help join in assisting us in any way.”

Kenyans willing to assist the family can send their contributions through Paybill number 222111 Account number 1913797.

Contributions can also be channeled through Fiona’s father M-pesa line 0716727012 (Walter Njoroge) or through the treasurer Jayne 0722411510.