The woman, 32, and her husband, 36, are alleged to have strangled the baby to death on Friday, February 7 at their home in Umoja Estate within Lanet, Bahati Sub-county.
The newborn’s body, found dumped in a latrine, was retrieved on Tuesday, February 18 by police officers and taken to Rift Valley General Hospital.
According to The Standard, the woman’s mother who was eagerly expecting a grandchild, raised the alarm on February 18, wondering why her daughter had given birth but could not see the baby. She filed a report at Lanet Police Station, after which officers swung into action.
A sign pictured at the Rift Valley General Hospital
The Standard
“The woman suspected that her daughter had either given birth or terminated the pregnancy. She wasn’t sure, but she requested us to investigate,” Bahati Sub-county Police Commander Francis Mwangi stated.
The officers made their way to the single-room house in Umoja Estate where the couple confessed to murdering the newborn.
Police confirmed that the duo would be arraigned in court and charged with murder.
The couple, which has three other children aged between 3 and 10, told police that they chose to kill the baby due to their poor financial situation.
They claimed that they were not able to provide food for the newborn and made the shocking decision to kill it.
As they were interrogated, the couple noted that they were struggling to pay rent for their single room and could, therefore, not afford to take care of the child.
Their neighbours disclosed that the couple usually engaged in manual work to provide for their young family.
The constitution describes infanticide as a systematic and deliberate killing of children below 12 months by their biological mothers at birth or after.
If found guilty, the woman is liable to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Aerial image of a section of Nakuru town
YouTube
