Form 3 student arrested in Yatta for suspected infanticide

A Form Three student a school in Yatta, Kitui County was on Friday evening arrested for suspected infanticide.

In a dramatic turn of events, the 17-year-old turned from patient to suspect.

According to a report from the school’s principal, the student complained of stomach pains and was rushed to a local hospital for medical attention.

“At the health centre, she was examined and said to have conducted an abortion, but was treated and later discharged,” said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Twitter.

The medical report however triggered a rigorous search around the school compound, which is what led to the recovery of a folded blue bedsheet tossed in a pit latrine.

On pulling it out, police discovered a male foetus approximated to be 8-months old, wrapped with the sheet.

It also had a piece of a mosquito net tied around its neck.

The suspect was immediately apprehended and the infant’s body taken to a mortuary for autopsy.