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Police have busted a child stealing syndicate by arresting a woman and rescuing two minors in Nairobi. 

A joint team comprising the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Kabete arrested Mary Akinyi Mulamula, who had been dodging the authorities.

One of the children rescued was stolen on June 6 this year from her home in Virhembe location, Kakamega county by the suspect.

Investigations revealed that on an ill-fated day, the suspect spun a web of deceit, convincing the shamba boy that she was taking the child to Kakamega to be registered in a sponsorship program promising a monthly stipend of Sh9,000.

 Efforts paid off

However, the suspect vanished with the child without a trace, leaving the family in despair, according to the DCI.  “After relentless investigations, the officers’ efforts paid off when they successfully rescued the victim alongside another victim, apprehending the suspect in the process,” the DCI said.

She is expected to be charged in court today even as the DCI said they had launched nationwide operations to protect children’s rights and eradicate the scourge of human trafficking. 

In another case, detectives in Nairobi launched investigations into a suspected child trafficking ring after 16 children were rescued from a rented house in Kayole, Soweto area mid this year.

According to the police, the rescue operation was initiated after a report was filed by a children protection officer from Embakasi Central Constituency at the Soweto Police Station, who informed authorities of the presence of children in a rented house.

A team from Soweto proceeded to the scene and gained access to the said house and found 16 children in two roomed rental houses. Police said the caregiver and a 54-year-old Tanzanian national could not give an account of how the children came to be there.

The rescued children, aged between two and 16 years old, were temporarily relocated to a Children’s Home in Nyando. While the police conducted investigations into the matter, working to unravel the circumstances surrounding the situation and ensure the safety and well-being of the children involved.  Cases of trafficking have been on the rise amid police operations to contain the trend.

Police say dozens of children are missing amid fears they have been trafficked elsewhere or the traffickers are looking for ways of taking them to their intended destination. The traffickers use fake documents to enhance the process.

Child trafficking involves the use of children for the purpose of exploitation in various ways. It is a serious crime and a severe violation of human rights.

Most perpetrators are Kenyan, including government officials, police officers, and local authorities, and, to a lesser extent, foreigners.