This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
On June 12, 2020, the Sonko Rescue Team recovered two infant bodies from the Nairobi River near the Korogocho area, sparking concerns about the dumping of dead bodies in the area.
The recovery of the two infants brings the total number of bodies recovered from the river since the beginning of the cleaning exercise last year to 21, including 16 infants and 5 adults.
According to Fredrick Okinda, who led the clean-up exercise, one of the team members found an infant wrapped in polythene paper, while the other was found 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.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has urged the police to come up with more concrete solutions to curb the dumping of babies and promote abortion.
"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, with the girls often falling victim to illegal abortions.
