The life of 10-year-old Abdi Bari took a dramatic twist 9 months ago after a small bump developed on his neck.
The family of the class 4 pupil from Elwak Town, Mandera County took him to Mandera District Hospital for treatment but since the hospital could not do much due to its insufficiency in equipment and personnel, the tumour steadily continued to grow inducing more suffering to him and his family.
In the last 45 days, Bari had been receiving treatment for tuberculosis with no improvement. Mandera district hospital decided to discharge him with a recommendation for specialized care in Nairobi.
The cry of Bari and his family reached AMREF Kenya and on Sunday, he was airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital.
According to Abdihakim Ibrahim, cousin to Abdi Bari, the family has gone through untold suffering without the knowledge of what was happening to their child.
AMREF Kenya also managed to airlift another man involved in a grisly road accident near Umar Jilau village along the Mandera road when a potato truck he was in overturned. Three of the other passengers in the truck sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment at the Mandera district hospital.
Efforts to find the family of the 32-year-old man known as Evans Mugambi bore no fruits.