Migori town residents nabbed a maid who allegedly stole a baby from the nearby Homa Bay county before crossing over to nearby Tanzania.
The family of Abdulaziz Jillo from Sango estate in Homa Bay said they had hired a maid for only two days before she stole their one-year-old son on Wednesday morning.
“I suspected when the new maid insisted she could work for low wages. Even when I refused to allow her to stay in my house she insisted she could be working during the day,” Jillo said.
He said the maid was brought by a neighbour who did not know where she came from. She did not avail of her identification cards.
The family said the baby’s mother had gone to a funeral and left her with her 15-year-old sister who is a form two student.
In the morning, the new maid sent the victim’s sister to shop to buy breakfast and ran away with the minor and some household items.
“I suspected from her Swahili and dressing style that she was a Tanzanian. After reporting the matter to the police when my song disappeared, I circulated my son’s photos on social media and public service vehicles plying the route to the Isebania border,” Jillo said.
Peter Boi, a resident said he saw the infant’s image on social media and they started to check vehicles which were arriving in Migori town.
It is during the exercise that the woman carrying the baby, and three other women alighted.
“We grew suspicious when the infant was crying and was uncomfortable. Despite the weather being cold, the infant was not dressed warmly like they were travelling,” Boi said.
The group following the women lost them before they were traced to a Mpesa shop where they had done a transaction.
“We took the number and with the help of police we realized the team was rushing towards Tanzania when we made a chase and managed to corner them,” he said.
Suna East police boss Reuben Kemboi said the suspect identified as Agnes Atieno Onyango, 25, is being held at Migori police station and will be arraigned in court soon.
“We thank members of the public for helping us arrest the suspect and warn Kenyans to ensure they have proper identification of their maids,” he said.
