Woman arrested while attempting to sell her three weeks old baby at Sh1,200

Ann Wangui being escorted by a plain cloth police officer at Nakuru Level five hospital on September 11, 2018 after she attempted to sell her three weeks old baby. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

A 35-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday at Nakuru Level Five Hospital after she attempted to sell off her three weeks old baby, few hours to her discharge.

Ann Wangui, a resident of Naishi in Njoro reportedly attempted to sell the child to Dorcas Nanjala with whom she had been admitted with at the hospital but her baby died few days after delivery.

“I was admitted at the hospital in July but delivered an underweight girl on August 29. After two days my child died and was buried at Nakuru South Cemetery while I was still admitted,” said Nanjala.

She was discharged three days later and has been mourning the loss of her baby at her home in Rongai.

Her healing on the loss was however disrupted after the suspect called her on Sunday morning and disclosed that there was someone who had delivered a baby, a girl like hers, but was not willing to keep her.

Nanjala said that Wangui who was not well known to her claimed to have obtained her contacts during the period they were admitted together at the maternity ward.

The suspect asked Nanjala for Sh1,200 in exchange for the baby but then directed her to come with baby clothes for the little girl.

“At first the suspect alleged that the baby belonged to another girl who had delivered at the hospital and didn’t want to keep the child. She asked for Sh1,200 to cater for the diapers she had bought during the three weeks,” said Nanjala.

After sharing the information with her husband the couple decided to visit the hospital suspecting the child who had died was not theirs.

The suspect instructed Nanjala to arrive at the hospital gate on Monday at exactly 11.00am where the deal would be sealed immediately after her discharge from the facility.

A cautious Nanjala first reported the matter to Nakuru Central Police station where two police officers in civilian clothes escorted her to the hospital with the items that had been asked for.

The detectives walked behind Nanjala and at the gate, Wangui showed up ushering her to get into the fenced off maternity ward.

Wangui walked into the nursery and after few minutes emerged holding the child. The detectives pounced on the suspect.

As the officers and medics grilled her, the suspect’s husband Wilson Mungai arrived armed with an assortment of baby clothes ready to walk home with her family.

Mr Mungai was however shocked after learning that his wife had planned to give away their child without informing him.

“Am totally unaware of the plans to give away the child. My wife called me in the morning saying she would be discharged today and that is why am here for them,” said Mungai.

At first, Wangui denied having planned to sell her child. She later admitted that her actions were as a result of pressure from her mother who criticised her for “poor family planning”.

The suspect was taken to Nakuru Central Police Station pending further investigations.