Christine Masika, a Nairobi woman, has been arrested by the police for allegedly trying to sell a five-day-old baby for KSh 400,000. The baby was delivered by a Form Two student who gave it up for adoption as she could not afford to raise the child. The police had posed as potential buyers and caught Masika red-handed. The grandmother of the child was concerned about the payment and requested that the deal be done without any comebacks. Masika claimed that the baby belonged to a student who did not want to take care of her child.
Masika revealed that there is a WhatsApp group that connects buyers and sellers of babies. The group is facilitated by middlemen to ensure that there is no communication between the buyer and the seller afterward. The meeting with Masika lasted for about an hour, and she was convinced to take KSh 300,000 upfront, with the remaining KSh 100,000 to be paid later in a restaurant in Roysambu. Another baby had been sold for KSh 300,000, and the police are still following up to get the buyer and the seller.
The baby was being sold for a high price, and Masika assured other buyers of a ready supply of babies from the WhatsApp group they had formed. According to Masika, the mother of the baby is a 13-year-old Form Two student who does not want to take responsibility for the child. The baby has since been transferred to a children’s home as police look for the mother and Masika’s accomplices in the illegal trade.
In a similar incident, a young woman was taken to the Yumbe Central Police Station after attempting to steal a baby from a hospital. Raima Omiza admitted herself into the Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital and pretended to have a baby. The nurse caught her in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and alerted the police, who arrested her on the spot.
The illegal buying and selling of babies is a serious crime that can have serious consequences for everyone involved. It is crucial to report such incidents to the authorities to protect the welfare of these innocent children. The police need to continue their investigations to ensure that all those involved in the illegal trade are brought to justice.
