A half eaten pizza quickly stashed away for a child. Fruit inspected by hands that moments ago sifted through human waste and syringes had the bad bits spat out. The rest was eaten, or fed into the mouths of the babies on their backs. An infant’s cardigan covered in poo a great find held aloft with a smile “we will wash it and sell it.” Diapers not fully “used,” bagged up to be washed and used again. Dogs and pigs shushed away until the girls had got the best of the pickings, inured to the heat soaked stench, the dangers of rummaging through illegally dumped hospital waste that should have been incinerated, and inured.
The millions of flies that settle on faces, hands, babies’ mouths and eyes, and on the unwashed food that enters people’s mouths. Ironically, the dump’s voluntary community whatsapp mobile number list leaders have heard of no cases of people dying. Pigs and dogs fall sick. Dead birds Yes. But the immune systems of the people, like their hope, have been tested beyond measure then there’s the ongoing sexual violence and intimidation. You want to pee at night Wake your neighbour. Go in twos and threes. Predatory males have raped in groups. “You want food, girl You know what you must do.” It is frightening and dangerous beyond belief.
I held a meeting with of these young women in a building next to the dump, organised by three amazing women community leaders on and around the dump site themselves struggling. Seven of the girls stood up to tell their story. Brave. They had never stood up in public to speak before. Five couldn’t complete their harrowing tale because they broke down. We three visitors were all in tears. The other girls looked on stony faced, in traumatised silence, identifying with their visibly broken sisters. This is Nakuru almost , people the largest urban centre in Kenya’s rift valley.