This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
On June 11, 2020, the Sonko Rescue Team recovered two infant bodies from the Nairobi River near Korogocho area, a grim reminder of the city's ongoing struggle with dumping of dead bodies.
According to Fredrick Okinda, the team leader, one of the bodies was found wrapped in polythene paper, while the other was discovered floating nearby.
“One of our team members noticed a paper bag floating around and when he went on to open it, he was shocked to find the remains of an infant. Minutes later, we found another body of a girl dumped around the same area,” Okinda said.
The recovery of these two bodies brings the total number of bodies recovered from the river since the beginning of the cleaning exercise to 21, including 16 infants and 5 adults.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has urged the police to take more concrete action to prevent the dumping of dead bodies in the area, which has become synonymous with this heinous crime.
“I think the police have a big role to play. I know they have been working tirelessly to curb this vice but we note that it’s beginning to resurface again. They will need to be more vigilant,” Sonko said.
Beatrice Muema, a children's rights activist, attributes most of the cases to teenage pregnancies caused by defilement, which often lead to illegal abortions.
“Most of the cases are about defilement but reported to us as a teenage pregnancy. When we dig deeper we realise that the child was either defiled by a grown-up, but the child they thought that they were in a relationship,” Muema said.
