The mother of incarcerated Onandjokwe Intermediate Hospital intern doctor, Kelsey Kudumo, says her daughter’s arrest has shattered the family’s hopes of escaping poverty.
Martha Kudumo (54) said this as she appealed for her daughter to be granted bail and allowed to complete her medical internship.
Speaking during Kudumo’s bail hearing at the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, Martha described her daughter as the family’s only hope for a better future.
“She was going to take the family out of poverty. We believed once she completed her internship and became a qualified doctor, our lives would change,” she told the court.
Martha said the family has endured emotional and financial hardship since Kudumo’s arrest in March this year.
“Every time we travel to Ondangwa from Rundu, it affects our pockets. My husband and I spent money on accommodation in guesthouses. Now we are accommodated by a good Samaritan at Omuthiya because we no longer have money to pay for accommodation,” she said.
She told the court her daughter’s reputation has been severely damaged by the case.
According to Martha, if granted bail, the family would want Kudumo to continue with her internship at Rundu Intermediate Hospital.
The mother also informed the court that the family would be able to afford bail ranging between N$1 000 and N$15 000.
Kudumo was arrested in connection with an alleged fraud scheme involving about N$2.1 million reportedly stolen from Sanlam through fraudulent activities allegedly enabled by medical staff from Onandjokwe Intermediate Hospital and Ondangwa.
The matter continues in the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
