Mother abandons infant on the roadside, takes off in Mbita town
A baby blanket. A teenager abandoned her infant moments after giving birth in Mbita town.
Police in Mbita, Homa Bay, are helping officers from the Children’s department to trace the mother of a four-day-old infant who dumped her on the roadside.
The baby, who is currently at a children’s home in Kisii, was abandoned moments after she was born on Monday.
Preliminary investigations have established that the baby was born by a teenager.
Mbita Children’s Officer John Nyongesa said staff at the local hospital where the baby was first admitted reported seeing the teenager there before she disappeared.
It is said the mother visited the hospital after she complained of not feeling well.
"The hospital has her contacts. But the calls are not going through and no one knows where she comes from," Mr Nyongesa said.
Nurses recalled after seeing the baby that the cloth she was covered in resembled one the teenager had on when she visited the hospital, he added.
Ms Faith Wanja, who found the baby, said she was walking home in the evening when she noticed the infant lying by the road.
"She was covered in dirty linen. I took the initiative of taking good care of her before taking her to the hospital for a medical checkup," she said.
The following day, Ms Wanja reported the matter to the Mbita police station.
She also made a follow-up at the hospital on the condition of the baby.
"My main concern is that some nurses are interested in the infant. They could be up to something sinister," she claimed.
Mr Nyongesa, however, gave an assurance that the baby was in good hands.
He said officials from the Child Welfare Society visited his office on Wednesday to discuss the matter. They later decided that the infant would be better taken care of in a children's home.
According to Mr Nyongesa, the baby will be taken to Kisii.
Ms Samuel Oyuga, the medical officer for health in Mbita, said the infant was in a stable condition when she was discharged from the hospital.
