Ex-NTV journalist Namukabo Werunga has reunited with her father just days to her wedding after searching for him for nearly three decades.
Werunga, now working at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), reckoned that despite having an enviable career in the media industry and winning local and continental accolades, she felt that there was a missing piece in her puzzle.
She had not met her biological father, and the statement by former President Uhuru Kenyatta during the 2021 Mashujaa day celebrations made the void in her life feel wider than ever.
“Families headed by single parents rose from 25.1 per cent in 2009 to 38.2 per cent. If unchecked, this trend shall destroy the fundamental character of Kenya and reap untold harm to our children,” Uhuru stated.
Speaking to BBC Africa Eye, Werunga revealed that the embarked on a journey to find the missing part of her identity.
“I am about to get married and for the first time, I needed to know who I was and where I belonged. I felt that I was not good enough for anyone to claim me,” she explained.
Consequently, the 2018 Merck Foundation Media Recognition Award winner turned to her maternal side to find out more about her estranged father.
While her mother was not willing to journey into her past, she told her that her father was a police officer who worked in Sacho, but she only knew his surname.
The journalist visited the Baringo police station, where she was given access to the employment list. However, after combing through a heap of hard-copy files, she found no record of her father.
Werunga then went to her aunt, who co-raised her alongside her mother. A former teacher at Sacho High School, she informed her that her father was a military man who was part of the contingent that build the school.
Armed with renewed hope, she went to the school owned by retired President Daniel Moi. She met the school deputy principal, who verified the claim by her aunt.
“The school was built by the 12th battalion and I was a student at the time. However, the only person I remember is their commander, a colonel whose contacts I can share with you,” he noted.
After a while, she reached out to the Rtd. Colonel Moses Kwonyike, confirmed that he knew her father. The retired military man assured her that he was alive and that she was a carbon copy of him.
“There were three officers who went by that name, all brothers, but the one who I worked with in Sacho was an introvert. If you met him, you would see that you are a carbon copy," Kwonyike revealed.
Making a follow-up call, she was informed that her father was in Nambale, and assured her that she would not find difficulty in locating him since he was from a well-known family.
Werunga developed cold feet about meeting him and opted to reach out via phone call first. She explained that an early rejection on-call would be better than a personal one.
Nonetheless, she was welcomed by Lawrence Omunyin and her other five siblings. Omunyin revealed that he was not aware that he had a child hence her absence in her life.
"From the time she walked into the compound, I knew that she was my child. If I had known that I had a child, I would have done everything in my power to look for her," Omunyin stated.
Werunga expressed gratitude to her father and hopes to develop good relations with him. She proceeded to hold her traditional wedding.
