It was celebrations in Mwatheini village of Kirinyaga County on Monday, January 6, after two minors were retrieved about a week after being abducted on Sunday, December 29, 2019.
In a report published by Citizen Digital, two sisters identified as Grace Wambui,12, and Hanasah Nyambura, 2, were found abandoned 40km away from their home near Kimbimbi Trading Centre.
The police are reported to have tracked the suspected abductor, who had allegedly demanded a ransom of Ksh200,000, to Kimunye area of Gichugu Constituency on Saturday, January 4, where he was arrested.
According to family reports, the parents of the girls had searched fruitlessly for their children and were on the verge of giving up. The father had been quoted stating "we have been praying day and night."
The suspect is set to be arraigned in court and is currently detained at the Wang'uru Police Station in Mwea, Kirinyaga.
According to a report by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, close to 30 cases of missing children are reported every day.
On May 25, 2020, during the International Missing Children's Day, Missing Child Kenya executive director Maryanne Muyendo called for the urgent establishment of a database for all missing children to centralise efforts to link lost children with their parents.
She attributed the lack of a harmonised response to protect vulnerable children responsible for the menace.
According to a study by the National Crime and Research Centre, Kenya was ranked number 17 out of 19 on the list of countries with the highest cases of kidnappings.
