In 2020 Kenyan police unearthed a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three medical officers involved in the offence. inspector Genral Hillary Mutyambai said in a statement that the police had unearthed, local hospitals and children’s homes were involved in the crime. The senior medical officers were working in collusion with child smugglers.
BBC Africa Eye Investigations brought the story to light and revealed children were stolen from hospitals and clinics. Yesterday afternoon along Eastern Bypass police arrested Christine Masika as she attempted to sell a child for Sh.40,000. Unknown to her, the would-be buyers were police officers from Kasarani Police Station who laid a trap for her. According to Masika’s conversation with the buyers she says the grandmother of the child was concerned over the payment.
Masika fails to mention the mother of the child in their conversation thus the buyer asks for her whereabouts. Masika claims the mother is a 13-year-old Form Two student who is not ready to shoulder the responsibilities of taking care of her young baby. Claiming all the girl knows, she is taking the baby to a children’s home.
As any other businessperson does once, they have a client she assures them of a ready supply in case the buyers are in need of another child. The business, she says is facilitated by middlemen and, there is no sharing of contacts with their buyers to ensure there is no trace. The meeting lasts for about an hour before the buyers convince her to collect 300,000 shillings in their car and promise to top up 100,000 shillings at a restaurant in Roysambu area. Her destination is however the Kasarani Police Station.
Upon her arrest, Masika claimed that she had rescued the baby from a bus while travelling when her mother abandoned her. She is expected to be arraigned in court on Tuesday.
The rescued baby has since been transferred to a children’s home as police look for the mother of the baby and Masika’s accomplices in the illegal trade. The hope is the illegal trade will be busted once and for all.
