Nine-month-old baby stolen in Nakuru

A family in Nakuru is in agony after their nine-month-old baby was stolen while under the care of other minors on Tuesday in the informal settlement of Rhonda.

Maureen Gesare said she reported at Kaptembwo Police Station immediately after she was informed that her child was missing.

Gesare said she had gone to work and left the child under the care of her elder sister Faith Kemunto who also has a three-month-old baby.

“I recently got a job with a company in Rongai and I had to leave the child behind. When I came back from work, I was informed that my baby was missing,” said Gesare.

According to Kemunto, their neighbour’s children aged nine came to their house and asked to help in babysitting the two toddlers which was not out of the norm. The minors who are twins later asked if they could go with the toddlers to the shopping centre where a philanthropist gives out free food to children.

“They said if they went with the two babies they would be given more food. I later went to look for them and found that my own had slept,” said Kemunto.

Kemunto picked up her child as the minors proceeded with Gesare’s daughter to the centre but met with a stranger who they claimed took away the baby. “She entered a shop to buy them soft drinks. When she came out, she gave them money to buy chips and asked them to leave the baby with her,” said Kemunto.

Unknown to them, the minors had been lured into giving away the baby to the stranger who disappeared immediately. “We made frantic efforts to trace the woman when they came back home in panic,” said Kemunto.

The sisters managed to trace the shop where the suspect bought disposable for drinks.

“At the shop, we managed to see the CCTV footage of the woman and the children. She was in a blue dress and white shoes and her face is visible,” said Gesare.

Nakuru West DCIO Charles Kamau said that the police had obtained part of the footage as evidence and have embarked on investigations.

“The matter was reported to us and we are confident that we will soon catch up with the culprits,” said Kamau.