This archive report was first published on 5 January 2022.
Published on January 5, 2022, police in Thika East Sub County are investigating an alleged kidnapping incident of four children in Gatuanyaga area on Sunday evening.
The children, aged between seven and 11 years, were allegedly abducted while playing outside their residence at around 2pm before they were sprayed with a sleeping dose and bundled into a car.
According to the children, they were blindfolded and their mouths, hands, and legs tied up, put into a car, and driven for about four kilometers before they were bundled into an abandoned small room near Makongeni estate.
One of the children, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted their terrifying experience, saying, 'I managed to kick off the iron sheet covering one of the windows, woke the other children, and we ran away. It was a 16-hour ordeal that we will never forget.'
The children's guardian, Catherine Karongo, reported the matter to the police on Sunday evening and together with residents, began a manhunt for the four, but did not succeed.
Area Deputy Sub-county police commander Muthee Nyaga confirmed the incident, saying investigations are underway and cautioning parents to be vigilant about their children's safety.
Residents, led by Cecilia Wamaitha, a local leader, raised concern over the increased insecurity cases in the area, with several kidnapping and gruesome murders being reported in the past year.
