Tharaka Nithi chief officer in charge of children, gender and community welfare Kelly Karimi. /SCREENGRABTharaka Nithi county has been hit by a wave of child abandonment, with some of the victims found already deceased.
Authorities in charge of child welfare in the county have raised the alarm after the number of abandoned children rose to six within a month.
Tharaka Nithi Chief Officer in charge of Children, Gender and Community Welfare, Kelly Karimi, said it was astonishing that all the abandoned children were boys—raising questions about the motive behind the trend.
On Saturday night, Karimi, accompanied by officers from the county and the police, visited the scene where a male infant was found dumped near a school. He was still alive.
She demanded immediate investigations into the disturbing trend, suggesting a possible link to infanticide or cult activity.
“We received a call that a baby was found dumped, and we rushed to check on him. I'm concerned that in May and June, we have received six cases of dumped children. As of now, we are not sure if it is infanticide, or someone trying to get rid of the children or cult,” she said.
Karimi warned that the pattern was troubling and could set a precedent that allows those involved to go unpunished if thorough investigations are not conducted.
“Of all the six children, it is only today that we have found the baby alive; the rest were already dead. We want investigators to tell us if the perpetrators are from within or elsewhere,” she added.
The children’s officer said the boy child now appeared to be an endangered gender.
She urged members of the community to provide police with information on any suspicious neighbours who were recently expecting children but no longer appear to have them.
Karimi also announced that a toll-free number—1513—had been issued to the public to report such cases as part of efforts to curb the emerging trend.
Police have been urged to act swiftly, as no reports have been released on the other five children, despite the incidents having occurred up to two months ago.
A teacher from Bonanza Children’s Home said the rescued baby had been found dumped near a salon.
He appealed to young parents to seek help in caring for their babies instead of resorting to abandonment.
“We have also realised there is an issue of mental health. This is brought about by the high cost of living and challenges in general. I ask Kenyans to seek help and look out for one another, especially for the boy child,” he said.
