A 19 year-old house help was charged in Kibera court with assault after she allegedly burnt an 11 month-old baby using an iron box.
Peninah Muthoni was also charged with cruelty to a child after the court heard that she breastfed the minor.
She denied the two counts before Principal Magistrate Barbara Ojoo, saying that she never did the things she is being accused of by the police.
The court heard that on September 2 at White Star apartments in Langata, she unlawfully and willfully assaulted the baby girl.
It was alleged that on August 7 at Paradise apartments, Langata, she breastfed the child knowing that she was not the biological mother.
The court was told that the child’s mother came back home on September 2 and found the baby crying hysterically.
Upon checking she found a mark of a burn caused by an iron box on the baby’s right hand.
When asked, the house help apologised and the couple released her to go back to her home in Nyeri.
It is also alleged that a few days later, the mother of the child came across pictures of Muthoni breastfeeding the baby.
The pictures were found in the gallery of a phone which the couple had given Muthoni to use at home.
The case was reported at the police station after which the accused was traced and booked for the offences of assault and cruelty to a child.
The baby was taken for medical checkups where she was declared healthy by doctors. Her twin sister was also checked and her condition certified.
Muthoni was released on a Sh100,000 bond with a surety of the same amount or upon payment of Sh50,000 cash bail.
The case will be heard on December 15.
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