House help found with abducted child

By Cyrus Ombati

Police rescued an abducted child from a house girl who had been left to care for him in Nairobi’s Nyayo estate, Embakasi.

The boy, four, was found taking milk in an isolated room in Kayole estate two days after his abduction.

His father was away in Mozambique while the mother was stuck in London following the Iceland ash cloud that has paralysed air travel.

Police arrested the woman, who had threatened to kill the child if his parents did not give her Sh150,000.

On Friday, the boy’s father Penuel Ongwae travelled to Mozambique for duty, while his mother, a Kenya Airways airhostess was in London.

According to neighbours and relatives, the mother was supposed to return on Thursday.

Took a taxi

The house girl had been left with the victim and his eight-year-old brother.

On Friday at dawn, she took a taxi after packing her belongings and those of the boy and left while the older boy was asleep.

She told guards the child was sick and she had to rush him to hospital.

Investigation shows she was dropped near Wilson Airport where she told the taxi driver she was okay.

The older boy woke up at about 9am crying for food and asking where his brother was.

Neighbours said they first saw him play alone outside their house before he started looking for his brother.

It was then that neighbours started to look for the house girl.

Mr Ongwae was informed before he was allowed to travel back to Nairobi to help track down the boy.

On arrival, the maid called him and demanded Sh150,000, threatening to harm or kill the boy.

Ongwae told her he did not have the money but later sent her Sh3,000 after she said the boy was hungry.

Nairobi PPO Antony Kibuchi said by then his officers were in hot pursuit of the boy and the maid.

"Parents should know the kind of house girls they employ. Some of them have a criminal background," he said on the telephone.

Police traced the woman and the boy to a house in Masimba area, Kayole estate on Sunday evening.

Ongwae told police he sourced the woman from a bureau in the city and knew little about her.

On Monday, Kibuchi said the woman would appear in court to face various charges.