Kenyan Woman Gives Away Child to Chinese Couple after Delivery

A Kenyan woman who gave away her child to a Chinese man immediately after delivery at the Mombasa Hospital has been arrested.

27-year-old Josephine Kariuki Muthoni was arrested by Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) alongside a Chinese and a Singaporean for child trafficking.

Muthoni delivered the child on July 18th and instructed officials at the hospital to hand the baby to a Chinese couple, Mahesh Chudasama and Neo Kian Fu.

“Officers went to the hospital to inquire about the information and met the mother at the maternity ward and she recorded a statement,” DCI  Director George Kinoti said.

In her statement, Muthoni said she made an agreement before an advocate to carry the child for the foreigners for Sh30,000 per month. She said she received Sh28,500 monthly for the entire gestation period and was to receive a final sum of Sh500,000 after documentation and release of the child through court procedure to the intended parents.

Kinoti said two lawyers produced a copy of a deal between Muthoni and the Chinese couple.

“They produced a copy of a letter from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board allegedly signed by its chairman, Prof George Magoha, and dated November 11, 2016. The letter authorised the doctor the expansion of the spectrum of assisted reproductive technology (ART) service in Mombasa,” the DCI stated.

The 12-day-old boy has been taken to the Baby Life Rescue Centre pending an application for protection and care at the children’s court in Mombasa.

The suspects are facing charges of child trafficking and unlawful adoption of a child.