By Norbert Mao
What a journey! When you were born your mum and I were overjoyed. That joy continues to fill our hearts. I remember the headline in the Monitor “MP Mao is Dad”! It was a mischievous wordplay of the paper then superintended by the inimitable Wafula Oguttu.
Before you were born, I had been practicing how to get your mum and you to hospital in the shortest possible time. When the day came, I drove in exactly seven minutes to Kololo Hospital.
Dr. Jacqueline Mbonye allowed me in the delivery room and saved me from pacing the corridors anxiously. I spent the night on a little mat I carried along. It was a hard surface, but my excitement eliminated any thought of discomfort.
You were born with an undeveloped tiny tiny sixth finger which the doctor tied up and it fell off painlessly within days. So in accordance with our culture you became Ojara. Our elders gave you the name Ginyakol. We named you Hope. We also named you Nicholas after the patron saint of sailors. We asked God to make you fearless and adventurous. You have grown into a handsome, intelligent and very sensitive young man with a very generous spirit. You’re blessed indeed.
Recently when you left home and we didn’t know where you had gone, one of my close friends called. “You must be heartbroken!”, she told me. “All you have are your boys. You have nothing! No wealth worth talking about. Without your boys life would be unbearable”, she added. I prayed to God to lead me to you.
Today you turn 20! As your father, I continue to bless you and invoke God’s blessings upon you for health, abundance and happiness. Your mum and I will be by your side as you cut your birthday cake. We love you and we are committed to your wellbeing. If his school allows, your little brother Nathan Hale Rwotber (meaning the Lord is Good) (who was given his great grandfather’s name Lugwamoi) will also be with us. I love you son! Happy birthday.
This article was published on the Facebook page of DP President Norbert Mao
