There were emotional and joyous moments in Machakos on Sunday, March 26, after a young man named Kibet Rutto finally reunited with his mother after 30 years of separation.
The now happy story started on a sad note in 1993 when the then little boy aged two years old was separated from his mother.
Kibet’s father John Rutto was a police officer based at Mtopanga Chief’s Camp in Mombasa when he met Patts Selina.
The two met in 1990 and were blessed with a baby boy named Kibet Rutto but the marriage was short-lived when they separated in 1993.
After the separation, Kibet’s father, took the child back to his ancestral home in Kapenguria, Pokot, which then marked the last time the boy would enjoy his mother’s love.
Six years after moving to Kapenguria, Kibet had another tragedy in his life as his father passed away leaving the boy at the hands of relatives.
Kibet had no way of tracking down his mother until he chanced on a Christmas card the mother had written to him in 1994 posted from Machakos.
Through a vernacular radio station Musyi FM, Kibet appealed to anyone who had any information regarding the whereabouts of his mother.
Fans of Musyi FM quickly aided in tracing down Selina on the outskirts of Machakos Town and on Sunday, March 26, Kibet travelled to meet her for the first time in three decades.
“It was hard growing up without a mother. My friends would ask me how come I did not know my biological mother.
“It became particularly hard after I got a family and my kids would ask me when they could meet their grandmother,” an emotional Kibet remarked during the reunion.
Kibet wished that his father had let him maintain a healthy relationship with his mother.
“Even if parents break up, they should always make sure that the children do not get deprived of parental love,” Kibet regretted the lost years.
Selina, on the other hand, told Kibet that she had tried her best to search for him over the years.
“I used to write letters to your father and he would assure me he would bring you to Machakos so that we can be together.
“I still have the letters he sent me telling me about you. Sadly, we lost touch when he was transferred and my hopes of seeing you diminished,” she told him.
Selina further revealed that during the years she stayed with Kibet’s father, she never got to travel to his ancestral home.
“He used to promise me every time that he would take me home. When we lost contact, I was thrown into darkness as I did not know where I could go to find my son,” she revealed the pain she harboured over the years.
Selina disclosed that she never got remarried or have another child after separating from Kibet’s father.
