Where garbage once lay, Baby Pendo’s legacy now blossoms
By Viola Kosome, July 8, 2026For almost a decade, Lencer Achieng has lived with an unimaginable void, the loss of her six-month-old daughter, Baby Samantha Pendo, whose life was cut short during the violence that followed Kenya’s disputed 2017 General Election.
On July 8, 2026, amid tears, reflection and hope, the grieving mother watched as her daughter’s memory was immortalised through the official launch of Baby Pendo Botanic Park in Kisumu, a space dedicated to peace, healing and justice.
She only held Baby Pendo in her arms for six months before the infant’s life was tragically cut short.
Since then, the family’s pursuit of justice has become one of Kenya’s most emblematic cases on police accountability, with Baby Pendo’s name symbolising the devastating human cost of political violence.
A lasting legacy
Fighting back tears during the launch, Achieng said the park would ensure that her daughter’s memory lives on beyond the pain of her death.
“Baby Pendo was an innocent child whose only crime was being born at a time when conflict and excessive use of force overshadowed the value of human life,” she said.
Baby Pendo’s death, she noted, became a painful reminder of the devastating consequences of political violence and police brutality.
“While nothing can bring my daughter back, this occasion gives meaning to her memory. This park is more than a place of reflection. It is a symbol of remembrance, healing, accountability and our collective promise that never again should such a tragedy happen to another mother,” she said.
Baby Pendo, aged six months at the time of death, sustained severe injuries during a police operation in Kisumu’s Nyalenda slums in August 2017 following the disputed presidential election.
She later succumbed to her injuries, and her death sparked national outrage, becoming one of the country’s most recognised cases in the campaign against police brutality and the fight for justice for victims of post-election violence.
For Achieng, the years since have been marked by loss, court battles and unwavering determination to ensure her daughter’s death was not in vain.
“I only enjoyed my baby for six months. God gave her to me, but I never got the chance to watch her grow or enjoy her childhood. May this never happen to another mother,” she said.
She thanked civil society organisations, human rights defenders, faith leaders and members of the public who have stood with the family throughout the long search for justice.
The grieving mother also appealed for support for the Baby Pendo Foundation, saying the organisation seeks to promote peaceful coexistence, strengthen trust between communities and state institutions, advocate for justice and accountability, and safeguard the rights and dignity of every child.
“When I call upon you to support this cause, I ask you to stand with us. Together we can transform our pain into purpose and build a future where dialogue triumphs over violence. Let Baby Pendo’s legacy unite us rather than divide us,” she said.
Achieng further appealed to the Kisumu County Government to allow the family to manage the memorial park, saying it would help preserve her daughter’s legacy and provide a space where families affected by violence can find comfort.
From dumpsite to a symbol of peace and healing
The park itself tells a story of transformation. For decades, the Kachok dumpsite served as Kisumu City’s main waste disposal site, becoming synonymous with overflowing garbage, foul odours and environmental degradation.
Once considered an eyesore in the lakeside city, the site has since been rehabilitated into a modern public park through an urban renewal programme, transforming a place long associated with neglect into one symbolising hope, remembrance and renewal.
State Department for Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga described the dedication of the park as a solemn moment that honours the life of an innocent child while reminding Kenyans of the need to safeguard peace.
“I want to acknowledge this sombre moment as we dedicate a plaque to an innocent child whose life was cut too short,” Hinga said.
Responding to Achieng’s appeal, the PS pledged government support for the Baby Pendo Foundation.
“We shall sit together and see how we can support your foundation,” he said.
Leaders call for justice, unity and economic opportunities
Hinga lauded Kisumu residents for embracing reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, saying the county has evolved into a model of harmony despite the painful memories of the 2017 post-election violence.
“Kisumu has become a bastion of peace in this country, and we should never take that for granted,” he said.
He observed that peace alone is not enough unless it is accompanied by economic opportunities, noting that unemployment remains one of Kenya’s greatest threats to stability.
“The most existential challenge facing this country today is unemployment. When young people have opportunities to work and earn a living, they become active participants in building peaceful and prosperous communities,” he said.
Hinga said the National Government will continue partnering with county governments through urban renewal programmes to create public spaces that improve the quality of life while fostering social cohesion.
He noted that investments in parks, roads, markets and other public infrastructure are not merely construction projects but spaces that bring communities together, restore dignity to urban residents and inspire communities to protect peace.
Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o said that the decision to transform the once infamous Kachok dumpsite into Baby Pendo Botanical Park was both an environmental and moral statement.
He said the county could not aspire to be a modern city while leaving residents surrounded by mountains of waste.
“She never voted. She never belonged to any political party. Yet her death compelled the country to confront uncomfortable questions about the relationship between politics, justice and human dignity. We honour her not by preserving sorrow, but by refusing to waste it,” he said.
Governor Nyong’o noted that Baby Pendo was only six months when she lost her life through violence that should never have occurred.
“Every child who plays here, every student who learns here, every family that finds rest here will know that something beautiful was deliberately created where something tragic once occurred,” he said.
Memorial park preserves Baby Pendo’s legacy for future generations
He also revealed that naming the park after Baby Pendo ensures future generations never forget the cost of violence.
“We decided to transform the infamous Kachok dumpsite into Baby Pendo Park because we wanted this place to remind us of the importance of human dignity and peaceful coexistence,” Nyong’o said.
He said the memorial stands as a constant reminder that every citizen deserves equal protection under the law regardless of their background.
“This park is a place where families can gather, children can play, people can walk and communities can come together. But it can only remain a safe place if all of us defend the dignity of every citizen and protect their right to live,” he said.
As guests unveiled the memorial plaque and walked through the rehabilitated green space, the ceremony became more than the opening of a public park.
For Achieng, it was another painful yet hopeful chapter in a journey that began with unimaginable loss. And for Kisumu, Baby Pendo Park now stands not only as a memorial to a little girl whose life ended too soon, but as a lasting reminder that peace, justice and the dignity of every human life must never again be compromised.