NAIROBI, Kenya — A woman accused of abducting her friend’s two-day-old baby is in police custody, with the child still missing.
Catherine Kerubo was arrested in Nyali, Mombasa on June 6, days after allegedly fleeing with the infant belonging to her friend, Emily Mosweta, on May 26. Authorities say Kerubo vanished at the Tea Room stage in Nairobi CBD while accompanying Mosweta, who had recently been discharged from Mimosa Hospital in Kasarani.
Kerubo reportedly went missing shortly after the pair, along with another woman, boarded a matatu headed to Umoja. Mosweta tried contacting Kerubo and the other woman, but both phones were switched off.
The matter was reported to Umoja Police Post and later escalated to Buruburu Police Station, prompting the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to launch an investigation. Through intelligence, detectives tracked Kerubo to Nyamira County and ultimately to Mombasa, where she was arrested.
According to Corporal Erastus Kioko, who filed an affidavit at Makadara Law Courts, the DCI is investigating Kerubo for child stealing under Section 174 of the Penal Code. Police requested 14 days to hold Kerubo as they attempt to locate the baby, trace the second woman involved, and gather more evidence from the hospital and Kerubo’s rural home.
Senior Principal Magistrate Joseph Karanja granted the request to allow for further investigation. The whereabouts of the newborn remain unknown.
