Immaculate Kankindi, 25, would have delivered her fourth child by the roadside or even probably lost her life and her baby had it not been for a police patrol team saw her during labour on one of the streets in Kigali. Her husband had abandoned her months earlier  while her family kept insisting that she should go back to her spouse – a situation that left her in a dilemma.

The appalling situation made her get stuck in Kigali, between Nyagatare District where she previously lived with her husband and children, and Rulindo District where her relatives live.

Kankindi’s plight started about seven months ago when her husband left her for another woman, leaving her with no support for herself and their three children aged eight, seven and three.

To be able to support her children and raise money for rent, she had to work as a casual labourer.

"My situation got worse, when I was about seven months pregnant. My landlord evicted me after I failed to pay rent (Rwf5,000 per month). I had nowhere to go. I decided to go to my husband’s home but he couldn’t let us in, so I lived in the shrubs nearby for days,” she said.

She later decided to leave Nyagatare District and go live with her sister in Rulindo District but still she was not much welcome because her sister already had a big family of her own to take care of.

"I always delivered my children from Rulindo but this time, my sister gave me money to return to my husband’s  and deliver from there. Upon reaching Kigali, I failed to get a bus to Nyagatare since all drivers refused to take me because of my situation – I was in labour and it was visible that I would give birth any moment.”

Desperate and in much  pain, Kankindi loitered around the city centre with her three children in tow, waiting for fate to take its course.

The situation became worse when her children started crying. They were hungry for they had not eaten anything for over 12 hours.

On August 14 at night, Kankindi was found by a group of police officers on patrol around the Kinamba area. She was in labour and the policemen immediately put her on a police patrol car and rushed her to Kacyiru Police Hospital.

Kankindi gave birth to a baby boy within a few hours of her arrival at the hospital.

Together with her children, Kankindi has since been getting all the necessary services and sheltered at the hospital.

"When I was brought to this hospital, doctors ensured that I delivered my baby well; but they also provided a separate room for my children, they fed them and brought clothes for them,” Kankindi narrated.

"I had lost hope and a good samaritan came to my rescue. Every day, I see my children playing and laughing, and that, as a parent, means a lot.”

"I want to go back to Nyagatare to see if I can start a new life and see if I can find the father of my children and see whether we can solve our issues.”

The whereabouts of her husband are not known apparently, according to Police.

However, the hospital management said it’s working out a plan that would ensure her safety and that of her children.

The Director of Kacyiru Police Hospital, Commissioner of Police Dr Daniel Nyamwasa, said; "besides what we provided for her, we have decided to take her to Rulindo where she will be supported under the watch of her relatives.”

CP Nyamwasa condemned the conduct of Kankindi’s husband for abandoning his responsibilities, both as a husband and father.

"Local leaders should always closely monitor issues related to domestic misunderstandings,” he said.

Meanwhile Kankindi will set to rejoin her sister her sister and her first born in Rulindo District.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw