Man and wife charged with abduction of three children

Margaret Juma Magero and her husband David Ochieng Ometho at the Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa County yesterday, where they were charged with child trafficking. (PHOTO: KELVIN KARANI/ STANDARD)

A man and his wife were yesterday charged at the Shanzu Law Courts for kidnapping three minors after telling them they were their biological parents.

Police believe the accused are part of an international child-trafficking syndicate that has trafficked children to Switzerland.

According to an affidavit sworn by Mercy Makau, an investigation officer from the Child Protection Unit, the couple kidnapped the minors and took them to their parents' home in Siaya County, as their biological children.

Yesterday, Margaret Juma Magero and David Ochieng Ometho were charged with three counts of stealing and trafficking minors aged between one and a half and seven years from Mombasa to Siaya County.

Introduced as siblings

The two, who say they hail from Mtwapa, Kilifi County are said to have kidnapped seven-year old Beverlin Achieng alias Joan Atieno Alias Risper Aoko from her home in Maweni Kisauni Sub-County Mombasa County on March 18 2009.

Gone into hiding

On April 4 2011, the accused stole five-year old Joyce Mbuche Mzungu alias Elizabeth alias Gladys Gloria Awour from her mother Sidi Mwanumbo Chaga at their home in Bamburi, Kisauni, Mombasa County. They also stole one-and-a-half-year-old Brian from his parents.

According to court records, the accused introduced the children as siblings.

Ms Makau said that on October 2 2016 one of the children ran away from their Mtwapa home and was later found at nearby Kamukunji, where after being questioned, he narrated their ordeal.

Makau said Margaret was arrested on October 27 this year in Nairobi while her husband was arrested in Ugunja in Siaya on November 17 2016.

Reports indicate he had gone into hiding after he heard that his wife had been arrested in connection with the offences they were charged with.

The couple denied the charges before Principal Magistrate Diana Mochache, and requested they be provided with lawyers.

Margaret, a middle-aged woman remained silent and refused to defend herself and only said, “I want a lawyer” despite the magistrate’s attempts to make her speak.

Investigating officers have since traced and recorded statements from parents of the two older children. Parents of the third minor are yet to be traced.

State prosecutor Berryl Marinda opposed their release on bond, saying investigations to find parents of the one and a half year child are ongoing.

Ms Marinda said other children might have been trafficked out of the country to the couple’s relatives in Switzerland.

“Our investigations have revealed crucial leads which indicate the two are involved in child-trafficking within and beyond Kenya.

“Releasing them at this point might lead to interference with witnesses and evidence,” Marinda said.

International connections

She added: “The accused persons are a flight risk and there is high chance from the foregoing investigations that they can use their international connections and their accomplices to jump bail.”

The magistrate directed that the couple be detained for two weeks pending investigations and ordered that their passports be seized.

She also directed that baby Brian be placed under the court’s custody as investigators trace his parents.

The prosecution said that although Margaret claimed she lived in Mtwapa near Mtwamandoni Primary School, she was reluctant to identify her house.

The people she said are her neighbours could not identify her.