This archive report was first published on 24 August 2021.
On August 2, 2021, a 12-year-old girl, VK, was abducted by her mother, WJ, as she headed to school in Baringo. The incident was reported to the Kabarnet Police Station, and a case was filed by the girl's father, EK, in an ensuing custody battle with WJ.
According to court papers, EK had been providing for VK since her mother disappeared when she was two weeks old. He had been paying her school fees and catering for her needs, including food, as she stayed with his parents in Kabasis.
WJ, who is accused of abandoning VK, reappeared 12 years later and demanded custody of the child. However, her request was denied by the children's department, which declared that EK's parents should continue to stay with VK.
Resident Magistrate Vienna Amboko ordered the DCI and the local children's office to trace VK and present her before the court on August 30. The magistrate also instructed an officer from Baringo Central to liaise with the DCIO office in Kabarnet in tracing the minor.
WJ is accused of forcefully taking VK and bundling her into a vehicle, a Probox, and taking her to an unknown destination. She has blocked the plaintiff and all other family members from accessing the child and has reportedly threatened to disappear with VK completely.
