By REUBEN OLITA
May 13, 2026| The community remains in shock after a horrific crash on Sunday night, around 10pm, near a bridge leading into Kocholia. The mother, whose identity remains unknown, was walking towards town when a long-distance truck, reportedly overtaking another vehicle, struck her with brutal force and sped away into the darkness.
The impact was so devastating that it ruptured her womb—catastrophically and unbelievably—ejecting her unborn child onto the roadside. When residents and police arrived at the scene, they expected to find only one victim. Instead, they discovered a miracle: Baby Sharon Akiki, alive, her tiny body somehow holding onto a life her mother had just lost.
Rushed to Kocholia Sub-County Hospital, the infant—now named Baby Sharon by caregivers—was clinging to life with the strength of a survivor. But her fight was far from over. Social worker Oscar Omanyala, who has been by her side, describes her condition with both urgency and hope.
“Baby Sharon was born prematurely at seven months and suffered a broken arm during the impact,” Omanyala shares. “She has since developed anaemia and requires urgent, specialised care.”
On Wednesday afternoon, she was transferred to Busia County Referral Hospital for a life-saving blood transfusion and admission to the Newborn Unit (NBU). Every hour is critical. Every drop of blood is a prayer.
Meanwhile, Teso North Sub-County Police Commander Charles Chepkong’a has confirmed that investigations are underway to track down the truck driver, who fled without stopping—without offering help to the woman he left dying, or to the infant who fought to breathe on the cold tarmac.
“We appeal to any witnesses to come forward,” Chepkong’a said. The identity and nationality of the mother remain a mystery, though medical documents found near her body suggest she may have been a resident of Malaba, on either side of the Kenya-Uganda border.
Baby Sharon has no mother to hold her. No name on a birth certificate yet. No one to bring her the first tiny blanket or bottle. But she has us.
Oscar Omanyala is appealing to well-wishers with a simple, urgent request: “Please help us support this baby. She needs clothing, baby supplies, milk, diapers, and all the necessities as she continues receiving treatment. She has already survived what no one should have to endure.”
In a world that looked away as a truck disappeared into the night, let us not look away from Baby Sharon. She is a whisper of resilience in the face of unspeakable loss. Let her not grow up alone. Let her know that even after tragedy, there is kindness.
To support Baby Sharon, please contact the social welfare office at Busia County Referral Hospital or reach out to Oscar Omanyala directly. Blankets, baby formula, clothing, and financial contributions for her ongoing medical care are urgently needed. Every baby deserves a beginning. Let’s give Sharon hers.