Lillian Ndanu a resident of Mombasa has appealed for help after her son, Fadhili Rahma fell into a hole on Christmas day and has remained inside to date.
She had left her Mtwapa home and gone to visit the family of Bernard Opondo in Nyali when the tragic incident occurred.
“We ate lunch and then all four children went out to play. We did not know that there was a hole outside,” she said.
The boy is said to have left the house to go outside and play with his friends never to return.
A neighbour, who was passing by discovered the boy in the hole and alerted the family.
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“I came here to celebrate Christmas with my friend. I am shocked that I will go back to my home with a corpse,” Nduna said.
The neighbour since identified as Khadija Almin stated that she was passing by when she heard the voice of the boy calling for his mother.
She immediately alerted the mother along with other women and asked them if any of their children were missing.
“I moved closer to the hole and discovered that a carpet that had covered it was torn apart. I heard the voice of the child calling its mother. I informed the women, who confirmed that Rahma was indeed missing,” Almin said.
Opondo's family have since raised concerns on how the authorities have handled the matter.
He revealed that they attempted to rescue the boy but were unsuccessful since the hole was narrow and dark.
“We could hear the voice of the child but we were unable to help. It was very clear from the surface that something had fallen into the hole because the carpet that was loosely placed to cover it had been torn apart,” he said
Opondo further stated that they attempted to remove the boy by digging around the hole but were halted by authorities who promised to remove him.
“But four days later, they have not even tried to help the family to remove the child’s body. The problem is that they have blocked us from retrieving the body,” he said.
The boys mother revealed that the authorities have failed to offer any help despite appeals to remove his son's body from the hole.
“I want his body to be removed from the hole so that I can go and bury him,” she said.
“This house is located near the residence of the village elder, but he has failed to mobilise support. We want the body to be removed from the hole,” Paul Murunga, a resident added.
Ndanu was concerned that her son's body may deteriorate considering his age.
“I just want to confirm his death and bury the body even if they retrieve only bones,” she said.
