Police on Friday rescued 24 children from a woman who had locked them at a house in Mushatha, Tharaka-Nithi County, following a tip-off from the public.
The children who included 10 boys and 14 girls were being housed by Judith Mwaromo, a womn suspected to be a human trafficker with an established syndicate.
In her defense, Ms Mwaromo said she was staying with the children as she sought sponsors to fund their studies.
According to Tharaka-Nithi Police Commissioner John Ipara, the woman did not even know the children's names and could not communicate with them.
The minors who were said to have been picked from as far as Meru County, seemed well kept which according to Mr Ipara, indicated the business was run by people who were well off.
"There is an indication that rich people are involved in this business because the mattresses are new and each child has a metallic box," he said.
The police boss urged chiefs to share information on such criminal incidents and embrace the Nyumba Kumi initiative.
