• Alleged would-be baby stealer had registered the mother under her own name.
• Pumwani has a recorded a number of baby thefts but the hospital is now working closely with police to prevent any kidnapping or attempt.
Image: /FILE
A childless nurse was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly attempting to steal her friend's newborn baby at Pumwani Maternity Hospital.
Sheila Adhiambo Aluoch, who lives in Fedha estate, allegedly wanted to steal the baby of Phoebe Achieng who lives in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums, the hospital said.
She is being held at Shauri Moyo police station. Investigations are underway and police declined to specify possible charges.
Doctors said that Alouch called Phoebe her sister.
When the baby was due, Adhiambo took the friend to Puwmani Hospital on Monday when she registered her under her own name and left.
On Tuesday Achieng delivered a healthy two-kilogramme baby.
Hospital nurses got suspicious when they called the 'mother', Shiela Adhiambo Aluoch, but she didn't answer.
Either she had forgotten she was supposed to be Sheila or she did not know she was registered under her friend's name.
Pumwani Maternity Hospital medical superintendent Leonard Okoko said Achieng’s husband came to see his wife in ward four, bed eight.
“The name he asked for [Phoebe Achieng] was not corresponding to any of the names we had in our register. This is a surprise and it looked like a well-orchestrated deal. Even a genius might not catch on," he said.
Okoko said the hospital immediately alerted the police who arrested the suspect.
Adhiambo is being held at Shauri Moyo Police Station, booked under OB number 02/17/7/2019.
Area DCIO Kiamba Rukunga said that they are investigating and the suspect will be arraigned when the probe is complete.
“It’s still early to pre-empt possible charges. Let’s wait until we complete our probe,” he said.
Hospital administrator Geoffrey Mosiria said they have been working diligently with police to avert any baby thefts.
This is not the first attempted baby theft or theft at Pumwani.
In October last year, NTV aired an expose of how baby theft and is carried out in the hospital.
A 27-year-old woman, Caroline Gitonga, was detained by police after attempting to sell a baby, whom she claimed was hers, shortly after being discharged from the hospital.
The month before, Mercy Atieno was arrested for attempting to steal a newborn baby, carrying him in a backpack.
The baby was said to have been stolen while the mother was undergoing the discharge process.
Four years ago it was established that baby sale business was booming at the largest maternity hospital in East and Central Africa.
A police officer who sought anonymity and had been transferred from the hospital to City Hall said some hospital nurses had been involved in baby 'deals'.
He said well-connected individuals in the city are often involved and the deal is usually sealed well before delivery.
The baby is immediately taken after birth while the mother is still weak and groggy. She is usually told her baby has died.
The officer said baby boys were sold for Sh10,000, while girls for Sh50,000, presumably because the would fetch a dowry.
Stealing from mothers at Pumwani was said to have been easy because most of them were poor and would not pursue reports about their babies’ deaths.
(Edited by V. Graham)