Drama as two women lay claim to baby reported stolen last week

BY NIKKO TANUI

Uasin-Gishu County: Two women in Kericho yesterday fought over a baby, with each one claiming to be the child’s biological mother.

The incident that unfolded before Kericho County Police Commandant Rose Muchuma brought business to a standstill as curious members of the public waited to see the outcome.

One of the women, Joyce Chepkemoi, while jostling to wrestle the baby from the hands of the commandant, passed out when her rival, Mercy Amenya, insisted that the baby was hers.

Briefing the press, Muchuma said the child was found after police traced Chepkemoi through her mobile phone number.

Chepkemoi, Muchuma said, had called Mercy’s husband asking him for fare so that she could bring the child back to them in Eldoret. The police used the number to trace her whereabouts.

“The Eldoret Officer Commanding Station (OCS) passed the woman’s phone number to his counterpart in Kericho County, who with the help of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers managed to trace the woman to Chebaon village,” Muchuma said.

The baby had been booked as missing in Eldoret on September 27. Curiously, the alleged baby thief was the woman Muchuma said had milk in her breasts, while the other woman believed to be the baby’s mother had no breast milk.

To further complicate the matter, both women had different names for the baby.

“The woman who reported that her four-month-old baby had been stolen claims to be the baby’s mother but the other woman who allegedly stole the baby insists that the baby is hers and when I told her to squeeze her breasts, milk came out. She had even been breastfeeding the baby,” Muchuma said.

Mercy, joined by her husband, said she gave birth to the baby four months ago in Eldoret District Hospital and first met the other woman in Narok and employed her as a house-help.

“She told me that she had sought help from another woman but was chased away. I felt sorry for her and welcomed her to my house as a maid,” Amenya said.

She added that on the fateful day, she had left the house to go to the market but on returning home, found the maid and her baby missing.

She said eight days later, the alleged baby thief called her husband asking for fare to enable her travel to Eldoret and return the baby.

They went to the local police station with the cell phone number, which the police and CID used to trace and catch up with the alleged baby thief in Kericho.