In a startling incident captured by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, a woman working as a domestic helper in Eastleigh, Nairobi, has been accused of intentionally transmitting a life-threatening illness.
The defendant, who goes by the initials PKH, stands accused of spitting on the food she had prepared for her employer while being fully aware of her HIV-positive status. This act is alleged to be in violation of Section 26(a) of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) of 2006.
The event transpired on October 25, 2023, and came to light when the employer, identified as HYA, reviewed the CCTV recordings. HYA, who serves as both the complainant and the primary witness in the case, observed PKH spitting on the food inside the kitchen as captured by the surveillance cameras.
Upon a more thorough investigation, it was revealed that PKH had been contaminating all the meals she prepared for the family with her saliva.
Promptly, HYA reported the incident to the Pangani police station, which led to a search of PKH’s personal belongings. During the search, Antiretroviral (ARVs) medication was discovered in her possession, confirming her HIV-positive status. Consequently, PKH was taken into custody.
In the course of the police inquiry, HYA disclosed that she had recruited PKH through a domestic workers’ employment agency in South C, Nairobi, on October 20, 2023. The shocking revelation came just five days into PKH’s employment, prompting HYA to review the CCTV footage. It was determined that PKH had been living with the disease since childhood.
PKH, in front of Principal Magistrate Erick Mutunga at the Makadara Law Courts, denied the charges. The prosecution, represented by counsel Joy Kaaria, requested that PKH be detained at the Pangani police station for a medical evaluation, a request that was granted by Magistrate Mutunga. PKH was subsequently remanded in police custody until October 31, 2023.
