"Mommy! Don't Leave Me!": Gladys Gachanja Recalls the Scream That Broke Her

Veteran Kenyan broadcaster Gladys Gachanja has long been admired for her composed presence on screen and her authoritative reporting during her time at NTV.

But behind the polished exterior is a story of immense personal struggle—one she recently opened up about in a raw, emotional account that has struck a powerful chord with many Kenyans.

Through her YouTube series Curveballs by GG, the former news anchor described one of the most gut-wrenching moments of her life—leaving her young son at home despite knowing he was in distress, all because her demanding job offered little room for compromise.

“I’ve done many difficult things in my life,” she said, her voice trembling, “but I have to tell you that was the most difficult decision I’ve ever made.”

The heartbreaking moment began with a call from her son’s school. Teachers informed her that the child was refusing to go home—an alarming and unusual incident that instantly made her stomach churn. It was then she realised something was terribly wrong.

“There’s a certain rage that came to the fore,” she admitted. “How dare you hurt my son?”

At the time, Gachanja was in the middle of a newsroom frenzy. Reporters were being assigned and deployed across the country. The pressure was immense.

“You knew what was ahead of you in terms of workload,” she explained. “At the same time, I had this reality that my help had to go because of my son—and I live in this reality.”

The difficult reality? Gachanja is a single mother, solely responsible for both her child’s safety and her professional responsibilities.

She faced a harrowing dilemma: stay home to protect her son or report for duty and safeguard her job. “If I call the office one more time saying I don’t have a nanny, I don’t know what will happen to my job,” she admitted. “But I cannot leave my son on his own.”

Ultimately, she had no choice but to leave. But as she walked to her car, her son realised she was going and began screaming.

“‘Mommy! Mommy! Don’t leave me!’” she recalled, her voice breaking. “That was all I could hear—my son screaming at the top of his lungs.”

It was a moment that shattered her. She began to question herself deeply. “Everyone seems to be having it good. Why me? What am I doing wrong?” she asked.

The feeling of isolation, guilt, and desperation was overwhelming.