Ms. Mercy Masambaga had no clue that her joy would be fleeting when she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on February 26.
She delivered at the Port Rietz District hospital in Mombasa.
The boy required specialized medical care, which was unavailable at Port Rietz hospital because the woman had delivered an underweight child, as was found by the hospital’s medical staff.
The infant was taken to Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital the same day for additional medical monitoring and treatment.
When Ms. Masambaga asked to see the infant on March 1 at the same hospital, she was told that it was a girl, which she disputed.
She persisted in asking for more details, and she finally learned that her child had passed away and that the body had been preserved in the hospital mortuary.
The following day, her husband, Mr. Julius Kimeli, went the mortuary to confirm his worries but refuted claims that the dead child was theirs.
Despite being shocked by the unexpected turn of events, the couple maintained that the dead infant was not theirs.
The couple had no other option but to call the police, who have since taken control of the case to help determine the truth.
The case is currently in court.
Because of what transpired after the infant was born, police constable Moses Mwaniki of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stated in an affidavit that he is investigating a case of child theft.
He informed Mombasa Principal Magistrate Vincent Adet, “The parents of the infants in this case have disputed the dead child brought to them at Coast General Teaching and Referral hospital.
In an attempt to ascertain the truth, Mr. Mwaniki asked for a warrant so he could collect DNA samples from the couple and the disputed dead infant.
The officer also asked the judge for permission to give the government chemist the DNA of the dead infant and either parent for analysis. The magistrate allowed these orders, opening the door for DNA testing to ascertain the truth.
