How my life took a tragic turn after being visually impaired
Samuel Ng'ang'a during an interview with Mtaa Wangu at his home in Whitehouse.
On one fateful night in 2021, Samuel Ng'ang’a became a character entangled in a malicious plot that altered and redefined his identity to a visually impaired man for his entire life.
The 46-year-old narrates how his life took a turn for the worst when he was given some land by his father.
Choosing to lease out the land, he says one of his clients threatened him a week before he became visually impaired, after the two disagreed on the lease payment.
Samuel says, “One morning I was leaving work to my house. From the moment I alighted the matatu, I noticed a mysterious figure emerging from the darkness stalking my every move."
"I tried to go into my friend’s compound for safety but he told me 8pm was still early and that I was a man I shouldn't fear anything. It’s at this point that the assailant attacked me a few metres before my house."
Mr Ng'ang’a states that he walked as fast as he could, but the assailant got hold of him.
Without warning, he was suddenly attacked. His assailant ruthlessly struck his eyes with two blows, plunging him into more darkness.
"As I struggled to shout for help, he beat me up some more."
Mr Ng'ang’a discloses that so bad was the beating, that he lost consciousness for two hours.
"When I came to, it dawned on me that I had lost my eyesight. I struggled to get my way to my house, where I went to rest, as I knew I would get help in the morning from my cousin who was coming."
Mr Ng'ang’a highlights that morning came, and seeing his situation, the cousin, hurriedly called his parents and he was rushed to Nakuru level five hospital, and was later transferred to Kenyatta National hospital.
"It was at this point that every doctor I visited told me that my eyes were totally damaged, which meant I had gone blind. I was heartbroken as I grappled with the profound implications of my new found blindness."
Mr Ng'ang’a shares that adapting to life without sight has been a tough challenge, as everyone in his life termed him as cursed.
Mr Ng'ang’a says, "My father has completely abandoned me and instructed everyone, even my mother and siblings not to help me. If that's not enough along the way I thought I met the one for me, only for her to leave after staying for almost two years. She has never returned."
Despite reporting the matter to the police station, Ng'ang'a says nothing has been done.
He notes that he had saved some money and was assisted by one church to get a groundnut machine, but his only challenge was people that helped him cook the groundnuts and guide him as he hawked the nuts in Nakuru town took advantage of him.
“They would want to take more money than what I made in a day. I am willing to work hard and would like if I could get someone to help me set up my groundnut business again,” he concludes.