Another infant body retrieved as Sonko calls on mothers to seek help

A team cleaning the Ngong River in Embakasi South, Nairobi has recovered the body of an infant.

The infant is believed to be about a year and a half old. This brings to 25 the number of bodies retrieved from rivers around the city by the Sonko Rescue Team (SRT) and the Comb Green Solutions groups cleaning the Ngong River and Nairobi River respectively since Governor Mike Sonko launched the monthly cleanup exercise in July 2018.

The 25 include 20 infants and five adults.

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko called on young mothers to seek help if they find raising babies an impossible challenge.

Sonko said there is always the option of giving up the babies to foster homes should push come to shove.

"This is way better than dumping innocent babies in latrines and rivers," said Sonko.

He spoke after his Sonko Rescue Team retrieved the body from the Ngong River in Embakasi South.

SRT official Abdi Kware said the body was retrieved near the Kware slums and reported at the Kware Police Station. They were allowed to bury the remains along the River.

Early last week, the group members found another body of an infant and reported at Kware police post.

“We found the body while conducting our normal clean-up exercise and for the first time, we got the body of a baby who is more than one-year-old,” he said.

A month ago, yet another body was found around the same area and reported to the same station.

Early last month, the Comb Green clean-up team retrieved two bodies from the Nairobi river at the Korogocho area.

Following the increased cases of infants being dumped in the rivers, Sonko urged troubled mothers facing life challenges to reach out to the County for help or find ways of leaving the babies near child care homes.

“I am calling on mothers to bring these little angels to us where we can help them in some of our facilities for child care instead of leaving them to die,” he said.

Sonko asked mothers who may have conceived babies against their will or feel they are not ready to take care of the not to shy away from seeking help through the Sonko Rescue Team or at the sub-county offices.

“They must come out and speak so that we can chip in where possible to save the lives of innocent babies."