When Charity Wambugu first got a job at a Vernacular TV station at the heart of the city, her life took a turnaround as she dived into the media world.
Her dreams of making a difference in the lives of Kenyans through her portfolio as a news anchor, finally became a reality. However, things took a quick dive a few months after she delivered her first born.
Wambugu in an interview with Hivisasa narrates the pressure of being a mother struck her immediately after her maternity leave elapsed.
“The usual three months were done and I had to go back to work,” she says. “The nightmare of getting a loyal house help crept in and it hit me so hard once I got back to work.”
With sadness punctuating her statements, the mother of one recalls an instance where her house help left on make-a-believe-lie forcing her to stay at home while she looked for another nanny to take care of her son while she was away.
But this tragically ended up being one of her worst life’s nightmare.
“I had to look for another nanny and I got one after a while. But I would have challenges with her because she is the type that is not corrected. Besides working all day, I would come and do house chores she should have done and I would remain silent else she gets offended by my correction,” she recalls.
“One night, I don’t know what happened and she broke my son’s leg. I rushed him to the hospital and I missed a day at work. When I reported the following day, I was literally fired.”
She notes that Kenya should enact a law that cushions new mothers from such predicaments noting the period given to employers for maternity leave is too short.
“I am lobbying so that we have at least up to six months maternal leave. This period allows you to be with your kid and even bond because what we get currently, is challenging and we feel oppressed but there is no way out yet. Many women are suffering but no one tells their story; I am their ambassador now,” states Wambugu who has since landed a new job.
She says that Parliament, just as it passed a law requiring employers to set up breastfeeding stations for their employees with infants, should legislate on an extended maternity leave.
“We have able leaders and I am challenging them to consider this. Let us help others who could suffer the same fate as I did with the current provision,” she concludes.
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