Christine Nthambi is a sad mother. Throughout the period of the interview, she keenly watches over her playful daughter. She is a baby who was reportedly raped repeatedly at a daycare center.
“March 18 was the worst day of my life. On that day, I discovered that my two-year-old daughter had been sexually abused,” she says while fighting back tears.
Nthambi who was a food vendor at Pipeline estate claims the innocence of her only daughter was taken away at a daycare where she would leave her to attend to her business.
She says she was the centre’s client for slightly over a month before the incident.
“I needed to make a living, and so I handed my daughter over to strangers after a good friend recommended the place,” explains Nthambi.
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She refers to the caretaker as ‘Mama Mercy’ whose husband she only knows as Maina.
The ordeal the baby went through is apparent in the way she now walks.
“One evening, she started complaining of pains in her private parts, and that’s when I discovered it was swollen. I went back to Mama Mercy who together with her husband denied any knowledge of my daughter’s condition,” Nthambi told The Nairobian.
Peter Kang’ethe, Nthambi’s husband, alleges that they discovered pubic hair and bloodstains around the child’s abdomen on the night she complained about the pain in her private area. Nthambi took her daughter to St Bakhita Dispensary in Utawala for a check-up, and according to an examination report, she was treated for painful micturition and swollen genitalia. The letter also indicated trauma secondary to attempted rape.
“I reported the matter at Ruai Police Station and it was booked in the occurrence book with the reference number 11/19/3/2015. Mama Mercy was taken in for questioning but later released. The police station also conducted tests on my daughter,” she said.
The medical certificate from the Mathare and Eastleigh Médecins Sans Frontières project indicated that the baby looked traumatised and had a swollen and bruised vulva. The bay girl was declared a victim of sexual violence on March 18, 2015.
“The police told me to go back for a P3 form, but kept taking me round in circles. I sought help from Stop Rape organisation who referred me back to the same policemen and Fida. The policemen ordered me to forget about the case and even accused me of lying. Fida on the other hand never picked up my calls, and since I did not know the physical address, I gave up,” a pained Nthambi narrated.
Nthambi has since left her home fearing for her life.
“I closed down my business to take care of my daughter,” she said.
“It is a painful experience, but what we want is justice to be served,” said Kang’ethe, the baby’s father.
