UPDATE: Tuesday, July 12: Police in Makindu sub-county, Machakos have arrested a woman by the name Sarah Sensoria aka Cynthia Chepkorir, in connection with kidnapping a six-year-old girl from Kilifi County.
She was arrested on Monday at 9:50 pm while heading to Nairobi from Mombasa aboard a bus belonging to Messina Bus Service reg.No.KCE 335Z Nissan UD.
Makueni County Police Commander Joseph ole Naipeyan, stated that the police got suspicious after noting that the girl was seated on a different number from the one booked on her ticket. He added that the suspect claimed to have been taking the girl for safe keeping - away from her parents.
"The suspect who is being held at Makindu Police Station claimed the minor was being mistreated by her parent and she decided to take her to the rural home in Siaya County," stated ole Naipeyan
A thirteen-year-old girl, from Mikuyu village near Machakos town, escaped from the clutches of her would-be kidnappers after being lured into a vehicle. The kidnappers stopped the vehicle they were in to pick up a young boy who was walking along the road.
The boy fled after sensing that the men were up to no good. It is during the resultant confusion that the girl got out of the car and took off screaming.
The minor was heading to the market when she innocently got in the car because the two men inside, had offered to drop her at her destination.
“Efforts by the kidnapper to recapture her were thwarted by a pedestrian as he managed to scare away the kidnappers,” stated the area chief Pius Kioko.
According to the girl, inside the vehicle were also young children who appeared to be asleep. It is believed that they were also kidnapped from other areas.
The matter was reported to Kathome police post and Machakos sub-county commander Moss Ndhiwa said they were investigating the matter.
This incident comes a month after an 18- year old was allegedly abducted in Mitaboni, Machakos county on Friday, June 11. He narrated the incident on Citizen TV saying that he was sedated before being kidnapped.
“I was trying to cross the road but before I could manage, a Range Rover stopped in front of me and inside, a man asked me for directions to Machakos town. But before I could speak, someone came from behind and inserted something in my head then made me enter the vehicle.” stated the boy
According to him, he regained consciousness approximately 7 hours after being sedated. To his uttermost dismay, he woke up in a different vehicle, in Namanga town, Kajiado County.
“I was shocked that I was now in a van and I also saw 4 other kids, 2 were gagged while the two others appeared to be asleep. The van stopped at a place where there were no people and it was at that moment that I managed to sneak out through the driver’s door as they had left the vehicle for a while,” narrated the boy
The boy managed to get to Namanga police station after asking for directions and was told by the police that the kidnappers wanted to take him across the border to Tanzania.
They later called his parents who had already launched a search for their missing boy and the family was finally reunited.
According to the data obtained from Missing Child Kenya, 69 cases of missing children were reported between March and May out of which 36 are still missing while 33 have been found and reunited with their families.
Kenyan organization, Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) says children are mostly trafficked for purposes of illegal adoption and attributes the rise of cases to hard economic times as a result of the pandemic.
