This archive report was first published on 9 June 2020.
On June 6, 2020, a 35-year-old woman from Nyamira County made a shocking confession in court, revealing that she had taken a concoction of paracetamol and tea leaves to procure an abortion and rid herself of her seven-month-old unborn baby.
Linet Kemunto, a mother of five, told Nyamira Senior Resident Magistrate Cyprian Waswa that she was an orphan and had moved out of an abusive marriage with all her children. She is now single-handedly responsible for nursing and providing for her children, one of whom is disabled.
Ms. Kemunto also has a four-month-old grandchild, whose mother is her teenage daughter. She pleaded with the court to forgive her, stating that she is the only person her children and grandchild depend on.
The woman committed the offence on Saturday at Bonyengwe II sub-location in Nyamira North, allegedly procuring the abortion and throwing the baby into River Eyaka. Ms. Kemunto pleaded guilty, but the ruling will be delivered on Tuesday after a probation report is filed in court.
