This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
On June 19, 2020, a shocking discovery was made in Masiebi village, Matayos Constituency, when the body of a two-week-old baby was found in a 30-foot pit latrine.
According to police, the baby's mother, a 19-year-old girl, led them to the latrine where the body was discovered. The girl had been reported missing by her family, and her father had allegedly thrown her out of their home after she delivered the baby.
Police are investigating the claims, and the girl is being held at Busia police station. She could face murder charges once investigations are complete.
"We intend to find out everything that transpired before the baby was thrown into the pit latrine," said Daniel Muleli, the County Criminal Investigation Officer.
Local women's rights group, Rural Education and Economic Enhancement Programme, has appealed to parents to support their daughters after delivery, rather than rejecting them.
"If the father could have welcomed the girl with the baby after delivering in hospital, the baby would not have been thrown into the latrine," said Mary Makokha, the group's director.
