Two women charged with child trafficking in Kakamega

According to the Directorate of Criminal Invwstigations(DCI), the duo Judith Ingahitzu, 47 and her aunt Florence Musimbi Abulu, 62 allegedly planned and stole a toddler while the mother was fighting for her life at a labour ward in Vihiga Health Centre.

They were charged with two counts of Acts that Promote Child Trafficking which attract a 30-year jail-term or Ksh.30 million fine.

"They initially pleaded guilty but later on in the afternoon changed through a lawyer," said the DCI.

The bond ruling will be made on Monday, October 25.

The suspects were arrested on Friday, October 15, 2021 by DCI's Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit (AHT&CPU) detectives who reportedly received anonymous call from a member of the public stating a woman possessing a mysterious baby boy.

"The caller further explained that the woman had not bee seen pregnant at the time. Detectives dispatched a team to Kakamega's Matete area on a fact finding mission where the first suspect (Judith) was spotted at her home lulling "her" bundle of joy," stated the DCI.

"In what led to the unearthing of an underworld of dreaded child traffickers who prey on voiceless young mothers, Judith's husband revealed that he hadn't been aware his wife was pregnant, until she appeared holding a day-old toddler that she wouldn't breastfeed."

Further, the birth notification provided by Judith had been altered using a white-out, and the parents' names entered by hand using a ball pen.

Although the suspect persistent that she had been pregnant and that her ample proportions concealed it, detectives took the suspect to Webuye County Hospital for forensic medical examination, where three different tests conducted gave negative results of her having been pregnant.

DNA tests ran at a different hospital in Kisumu equally contradicted the suspect's allegations.

"Thorough interrogations established that Judith had called Florence earlier in the year, asking her to find ways of getting her a baby. Her aunt then who was privy to a case of an expectant 17-year-old girl living with her grandmother at Vihiga's Kaimosi area, offered to help by offering the minor a job as a househelp," adds the DCI.

Connecting her to a family living in Kajiado's Ongata Rongai area, Florence warned the young girl not to reveal to any of her relatives that she was expectant, before instructing the girl's employer to release the girl back to her as soon as she was due for labor.

As agreed, the orphan girl had been picked by Florence 10 days to her delivery date, who stayed with her for the period before taking her to Vihiga Health Centre on Sept 8 where Judith appeared, caring for her till she gave birth to a baby boy.

It was in the process of collecting the documents on behalf of the young mother that Judith, who was hell-bent to steal the baby, altered the documents before disappearing with the baby as her aunt took the girl in circles as to the whereabouts of the born child.

Threatened with dire consequences if she told anyone, the girl has had to live with the pain, until detectives struck on Friday.

Over the weekend, the girl was united with her baby boy, before the two were taken for medical care and rescued to safety.