Kenyan Woman Who Stole 2-Week-Old Baby from KNH Slapped with 5-Year Prison Sentence

A Nairobi court has handed a five-year prison sentence to a woman who stole a baby from the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) last year.

In her ruling on Tuesday, Nairobi Chief Magistrate Roselyn Oganyo said the prosecution proved the charges leveled against Ednah Kemunto Mabuka.

Kemunto was charged with stealing a two-week-old infant from KNH in February 2018.

She allegedly fled with the baby named Prince Ouko after the infant's father Job Nyatiti requested her to hold one of his twins as he wheeled his wife to the first floor of the hospital, where she was set to be admitted.

A second woman who was carrying his other child rushed towards him after some minutes, saying Kemunto had taken off with Prince.

Nyatiti immediately reported the incident to the KNH management and, upon review of CCTV footage; the woman was seen exiting the facility carrying the boy.

Two days after the incident was highlighted in the media, a Good Samaritan from Kawangware estate called Nyatiti to inform him that she suspected her neighbor stole the child.

The neighbor became suspicious after Kemunto, who had suffered a miscarriage earlier on, returned home with a baby.

Nyatiti went to the house in the company of local authorities, where they found Kemunto with the baby.

Kemunto had initially pleaded guilty on February 27th, 2018, but later changed her plea to not guilty. She was released on a cash bail of Sh600,000.