A seventeen-year-old househelp is currently in police custody for allegedly attempting to abduct a 20-month-old child. The incident occurred at the Whitehouse Vineyard Estate in Nakuru town.
Caroline Kipnaigei, the mother of the child, stated that she had left her son at her sister’s place, under the care of the househelp, as she went to work on March 20.
“On Wednesday morning, I left my son at my sister’s place, as usual, before leaving for work. He is usually under the care of my sister’s househelp.
“In the evening, I got reports that she had not picked my sister’s child from school as usual and we wondered what had happened. I tried calling her but she did not answer my calls,” Ms Kipnaigei recounted.
However, concerns arose when the househelp failed to pick up Ms. Kipnaigei’s sister’s child from school and was unreachable by phone. Upon returning home, both the househelp and the child were missing.
Neighbours confirmed that the househelp had left with the child in the morning, sparking worry among the family.
“The house girl used to bond well with the child and she used to do her work very well. When I realised that they were not in the house, I thought that they were just within the estate. Their absence, however, raised eyebrows when darkness fell and they had not returned,” the worried mother said.
Ms. Kipnaigei reported the situation to the Workers Police Patrol Base in Nakuru town when the pair did not return by 10 pm.
Fortunately, on Thursday afternoon, a boda boda rider in Kaptimbor, Baringo Central, recognised the missing duo from social media posts and alerted the authorities.
“When we interrogated her, she insisted that the child was hers, but she looked suspicious. On further interrogation, she tried to board a motorcycle and that is when we called the police and she was taken to Kabarnet police station,” the boda boda rider, Patrick Tuitoek said.
The police commander, Julius Kiragu, confirmed the report, stating that the househelp was apprehended in Kabarnet town after being traced from Eldoret.
The child has been safely reunited with his mother, while the househelp remains in custody at Kabarnet police station pending further investigation.