A caregiver attend to infant baby at Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital (MMUH) in Kariobangi. The baby was rescued by police officer following tipoff by members of public that a suspected illegal abortion centre was operating in the area [Edward Kiplimo,Standard]
A days-old infant is under the care of nurses after being rescued from a house suspected to be operating an illegal abortion centre in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
The infant was found on Monday evening when police raided the two-room house in Riverside following a tip-off from members of the public who suspected that illegal medical procedures were being carried out in the premises.
Starehe Sub-County DCI head Maxwell Otieno said the baby, estimated to be between one and two days old, was in a critical condition when officers found it.
“The baby had turned pale. I doubt whether it could have survived the night, but because of the quick intervention and the good care it is receiving, it is now in a stable condition,” Otieno said.
Police said they were yet to establish whether the infant was born there or brought to the house.
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The raid followed complaints by members of the public, prompting officers from Drive Inn Police Station and the area chief to respond.
On arrival, officers found two women inside the house, which had been furnished to resemble a medical facility. The women were reportedly in pain and bleeding.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) personnel were called to assist in taking the women for medical attention.
Otieno said officers found blood on the floor and the two women were writhing in pain.
“There was a lot of blood on the floor and the two victims appeared to be in extensive pain. Were it not for the quick response of the officers, bleeding alone could have taken life,” he said.
Medical equipment
It was during a search of the premises that officers discovered the newborn in one of the rooms.
The baby was taken to Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital in Kariobangi for treatment, where it remains under the care of nurses.
Police also recovered several tools and medical equipment believed to have been used in carrying out the procedures.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the house was not a medical facility but was allegedly being used to carry out illegal abortions, according to Otieno.
Two men, identified as Simon Okali Arama, 55, and Lawrence Obwake Ombiro, 65, were arrested and escorted to Ruaraka Police Station.
A senior police officer in the Nairobi North sub-region said detectives were investigating whether the two men had been operating an illegal business while posing as medical practitioners.
The officer said the alleged activities could have exposed unsuspecting clients seeking services at the premises to serious health risks.
“Investigations include establishing if the two are trained doctors and why they were keeping two women,” the officer said.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has since taken over the case as detectives seek to establish the extent of the operations and the roles played by the suspects.
Investigators are also trying to determine how long the premises had been operating.
Otieno said the setup of the house, including the presence of a recovery bed, suggested that the alleged operations could have been running for some time.
“We believe that, going by the way these rooms were set up, it must have been running for some time,” he said.
He said investigations would be widened to identify other possible victims and people linked to the operations.
“We believe that was just a tip of the iceberg. More is to come and we’ll widen our investigations so that we unearth whatever that we have not been able to establish as of now,” he said.
The two suspects are expected to be arraigned in court today.