A 23-year-old house help in Nairobi was accused of kidnapping a six-month-old baby hours after being employed in the Makadara estate.
The father of the child made a report to the police on December 27, 2023, after unsuccessfully searching for the baby and the maid, who left without notifying the family.
According to his wife, the lady approached her for a job opportunity four days before Christmas, even though they had no prior relations and neither knew her background well.
Being a festive season, they opted to hire a househelp as the woman was still nursing postpartum pains.
Three days into her job, for reasons unknown to the couple, the maid disappeared with the baby at around midday.
The baby's mother had left the house to get supplies and run errands when the maid decided to pick up the baby together with all his clothes.
According to the embattled woman, the couple's only living memory of their child is the pictures and videos they recorded while she was a toddler.
The father thus urged the members of the public to be vigilant and report the househelp, who he suspected was working with a child trafficking syndicate.
13 days later, the family has yet to receive any updates from the police nor members of the public privy to the woman's whereabouts.
The US recently recommended that Kenya make significant steps in eliminating trafficking even though it still does not meet the minimum standards set to eliminate it.
In its 2023 report, the US Department of State claimed that the government still does not have proper facilities for the protection of kidnapped and trafficked victims.
Furthermore, the government relies heavily on civil societies for victim protection services.
