‘I was abandoned 50 years ago, at age one’

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Correspondent | NATION Flora left a city children’s home in 1981, where she had lived after being abandoned in 1962. Now she is all out to trace her relatives. 

By ZADDOCK ANGIRA zangira@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, August 23  2011 at  22:00

IN SUMMARY

• Woman who now works for an international organisation, was admitted to a city children’s home on June 30, 1962, and according to home officials, she appeared to be one year old at the time

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Fifty years ago, she was abandoned as a one-year-old at a city home. Since then, she has not been visited by anyone, nor been in contact with any relative.

But Flora Otiende, now working for an international agency in Nairobi, has not given up her hope of tracing her parents.

Even at 50 years of age, she has no idea who her biological parents and siblings are, from what ethnic group she comes, and most importantly, why she was abandoned. Flora has been trying to trace her roots for years.

But this endeavour has been an uphill task. Fine, she knows that she was abandoned by an “aunt” on June 30, 1962 . She also knows that she had only one name — Flora.

She was given her other name, Otiende, by officials of the Salvation Army Children’s Home in Nairobi, after they thought she resembled a Luhya.

Job and family

“Could you be my relative?” is the question the woman who says God has blessed her with a job and family is asking.

Her quest to trace her people is insatiable. “I always cross my fingers,” says Flora.

The records at the children’s home indicated she was abandoned by her aunt. A copy of the admission note reads: “Mother deserted her. Was brought to the Child Welfare Society by aunt. This aunt ran away from the office and left the child behind. No one appeared since. Mrs Ashton (who has since died) brought her here.”

“Here” meant the Salvation Army Children’s Home on Quarry Road.

Flora, who now works for an international organisation, was admitted to the children’s home on June 30,1962, and according to the home officials, she appeared to be one year old; they thus put her date of birth as June 30, 1961.

Her language, which was barely developed at the time, could not be relied on to determine her ethnic background.

Asked whether she thinks her parents were Luhya, she replies: “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Upon admission, the home immediately secured Mr Olof Larson, a Canadian, as her sponsor. Mr Olof was based in Sweden, but took a keen interest in Flora’s growth.

A year later, he wrote a letter to Lt. Commissioner F. J. Adlam, head of Salvation Army Children’s Home, inquiring about Flora. He enclosed a cheque for £8.4 as a gift for her.

Mr Olof’s letter partly read: “Some time has passed since you heard from us, but we hope Flora is all right and at good health. We would appreciate to know how she is getting on. Is there a possibility of having a photo of her showing us what she is like now after a year? We would be glad.” 

In a letter dated January 20, 1964 Captain C. G. Kotton wrote back to Mr Olof and described Flora as a lovely little girl, who had started talking.

“She is a bit shy, but when she thinks that nobody sees her, she talks to the other children, and is many times singing.”

Mr Olof died in 1971.

Flora does not remember having been visited by anyone at the children’s home.

“I have cast my mind back to my stay at the children’s home in vain,” she says. Flora left the children’s home on September 9, 1981 when she started working as a teacher at St Stephen’s Kindergaten in Karen.

She was 20 years old, and went to live on her own in Umoja Estate, house number E21.

I have given out my contacts (0710-822823; fflora2012@gmail.com) and my brief history, but so far, I’m yet to identify my kin. “It really disturbs me. It’s like a disease now,” she says.

Flora says she will most likely receive innumerable calls, some from fake “relatives” while never confirming the relationship.

However, this does not worry her since, as she says, anyone who comes forward will have to undergo medical tests to confirm the relationship.

“I have to cast my net wider to trace these people, and will not relent, no matter how long it shall take,” Flora vows.