Police search for boy’s kidnappers

By Peterson Githaiga

Kajiado County

Police in Kitengela, Kajiado County, are investigating a case where a two-year-old boy was kidnapped.

The kidnappers are said to have snatched the boy on Tuesday morning while in the company of a house help.

“A house girl is among the suspects in police custody and is assisting the police with investigation on how Belvid Njenga Kung’u mysteriously disappeared from home,” said a senior police officer.

Asked how the boy was kidnapped, the house girl said, “I saw a car approaching me. A man jumped out of the car and slapped me on the face twice and before I realised what was happening, the man had already taken the boy and sped off towards Kitengela town.”

Witnesses said they saw a car speeding off after the abduction.“I was going to a nearby shop when I heard people shouting mwizi mwizi (thieves). I thought it was a car theft,” said Mr Paul Kuria, a neighbour.

They told police the house girl and the boy had been spotted in the company of a man who she claimed to be her boyfriend.

The boy’s parents, Mr Julius Kung’u and Esther Wanjiku, told The Standard they received a phone call from a neighbour that their child had been abducted.

Release child

“We thought that the neighbours had mistakenly identified the boy, but when we arrived home, the news was true,” said a tearful Kung’u.

Yesterday, the abductors called the boy’s mother asking her to pay Sh600,000 as ransom in order for them to release the child. They had also threatened to kill or harm the boy if the family involved police.

“We are ready to part with any amount of money they want for the sake of our only son as far as he is alive,” said Wanjiku. By yesterday, police were still investigating the matter, while the house help remained in their custody.

In recent abduction cases, police have managed to rescue some of the victims and arrest suspects. In Nairobi, a prominent beer distributor and his colleague were rescued.