This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On Tuesday evening, a couple in Kamsama, Homa Bay County, buried two coffins, claiming they contained the newborn twins of Ms Beryl Akinyi and her husband Benson Onyango. However, the villagers' suspicions were raised when the couple hurriedly buried the coffins without involving their relatives or friends.
Locals dug out the fresh graves on Wednesday and discovered baby dolls in the coffins, sparking outrage and raising suspicions of baby trafficking. According to Mr Wycliffe Ogembo, Ms Akinyi's brother-in-law, she had left home two weeks ago to give birth at Homa Bay County Referral Hospital, but the hospital's CEO, Lillian Kocholla, claims they have no record of her recent admission.
Ms Akinyi had told her relatives that she was referred to the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu and later Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi after developing complications, but her family became suspicious of the numerous referrals and the short time it took her to travel to two different towns.
Ms Akinyi's husband, a carpenter, made two coffins on Tuesday morning, and the couple buried the 'twins' that evening, contrary to local culture, which requires that burial arrangements be made by the extended family or clan. No one viewed the bodies before burial, further raising suspicions.
The locals attacked the couple on Wednesday after discovering the dolls in the coffins. Police officers arrived at the scene and took them to Mbita Police Station, where they are detained. Homa Bay County police boss Esther Seroney said Ms Akinyi will be taken to hospital for examination to determine whether she recently gave birth or not.
