Infanticide,
A 19-year-old teenage girl was on Tuesday handed a Sh30,000 cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh100,000 with one surety of a similar amount by a Kenol court for attempted infanticide.
Infanticide is the crime of killing a child within a year of its birth in some legal jurisdictions, specifically by the mother.
Ann Waithera Kamau who appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Sheila M Nyaga was accused that on March 28, 2024 at Mowlem Estate, Makuyu, Murang’a South Sub County, she attempted infanticide by secret disposition of a live new born child in a pit latrine to conceal its birth.
According to the facts presented by the Prosecutor Ms. Millicent Odour, the minor’s maternal grandmother Ruth Mumbi Kamau was the first to hear a child’s cry in the latrine upon which she raised alarm and called for help.
The neighbours and the local administration embarked on a rescue mission and rushed the minor to Makuyu Health Center and later had him admitted at Murang’a Level Five Hospital.
Consequently, after visual and medical assessment of the all the ladies in that estate, it was discovered that it was the accused, Ann Waithera Kamau who had given birth in an abandoned building before proceeding to throw the baby in a pit latrine prompting her arrest and subsequent arraignment. However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Magistrate ordered that the accused be taken to Thika level 5 Hospital for a mental assessment test that shall be presented in court on July 7, 2024.
Moreover, the court ordered that the child who is currently at a children’s home, be released to the grandmother Ruth Mumbi under the conditions that the Sub County Children’s Officer, Susan Wambui, could supervise the living conditions and welfare of the minor within their homestead randomly.
Further, the grandmother would at all times be required to disclose her location to the Children’s Officer for accessibility while the accused shall report to the Children’s Office every two weeks in the company of the minor.
Failure to comply with the conditions set by the court shall have the minor committed to the children’s home for a period of one year. The accused was released on a Sh30,000 cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh100,000 with one surety of a similar amount with the hearing set for November 12, 2024.