Selina was admitted to the facility in March 2008 after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was 36 —vulnerable, confused and far away from home. Her temporary admission turned into years in the psychiatric ward
For the past 17 years, the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital has been more than a medical facility for Tanzanian national, Selina Paul. It has been the only home she has known for nearly two decades.
Selina was admitted to the facility in March 2008 after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was 36 —vulnerable, confused and far away from home. Her temporary admission turned into years in the psychiatric ward.
Even after her condition improved, the hospital could not discharge her. With no name, no address and no known family, Selina became an unintentional resident of the hospital.
On Tuesday, however, the now 53-year-old finally stepped out of hospital, but not as a patient. She has fully recovered and is ready to return home. Selina’s family, which the hospital had tried to reach in vain, had finally been located in Dar es Salaam.
The reunion was emotional. Her elder brother, Phillipo Paulo Ombae, who travelled from Tanzania on August 24, said the hospital notified them two weeks ago that Selina had been admitted there. Ombae was overcome with emotion as he embraced his sister.
The family, he said, had been searching for her all this time, at times losing hope of ever finding her. He recalled last seeing Selina in 2005 before she went missing after developing a mental health condition.
The family searched tirelessly for her, checking hospitals and mortuaries. “All along, we thought she had died. We’d lost hope of ever finding her alive.
We are very grateful to the hospital’s management and everyone who took care of my sister all these years. We also thank everyone for the effort you put into reuniting us. She is healthy and happy, and we are happy,” Ombae said.
He added: “Selina was born in Maganjwa village but later married and settled in Sabillo village, Dar es Salaam. A grand celebration now awaits her in Tanzania, where her eight children and other relatives are eagerly waiting her return.”
Yesterday, Ombae also thanked the hospital for the care given to Selina’s son, who was only six months old when she was admitted. The boy was raised in a children’s home and is now in Form Four. “Once he finishes his exams, we will help him secure the necessary documents so he can travel back home and finally meet his family,” he said.
At the hospital, Selina could not hide her joy at seeing her relatives. Beaming with joy, she repeatedly said: “Nimefurahi sana kuenda nyumbani” (I am so happy to go home), her Tanzanian accent still intact.
According to Caroline Ojuang, a medical social worker and counselling psychologist at the hospital, Selina was brought in by good Samaritans from Baringo County who found her loitering in the streets with her infant son strapped to her back.
After diagnosis, she was admitted. However, she gave conflicting details about her identity.
“She identified herself as Rosa from Tanzania but would give contradicting statements that made tracing her family impossible. She became known as ‘Rosa TZ,” Ojuang said.
For years, doctors, nurses and social workers tried to piece together her story with little success. The turning point came this year, when Selina began consistently mentioning her home village in Mbulu, Tanzania, along with relatives’ names and the church she once attended.
Armed with this information, the hospital contacted the Bishop of Mbulu Diocese, who recognised the details and confirmed them with church records. This eventually led to her family. “At first, the family was hesitant to believe the news,” Ojuang said.
She added that the reunion was also deeply emotional for Selina’s son, who had been the only person visiting her over the years.
“Whenever he found her unwell, he would leave in tears. Now, with his mother’s family traced, he finally has a sense of identity and belonging,” she said.
The hospital has since confirmed that its waiver committee will clear Selina’s medical bill accumulated over the years.
