This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
On October 1, 2019, a dramatic case unfolded at the Makadara Law Court in Nairobi, Kenya, as Aida Sendi, a house help, and her lover, Shafik Kibiringe, were denied bail and bonds in connection with the alleged theft of a two-year-old baby.
The court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Heston Nyaga, ruled that the two suspects were a flight risk and would be remanded during trial.
The alleged theft occurred on an unspecified date when Sendi and Kibirige stole the baby from their employer, Merina Ayitsi Indala, in Buruburu, Nairobi, and attempted to smuggle him out of the country using Indala's car.
Sendi and Kibirige also allegedly stole Indala's car and the baby's clothes, which they denied.
Prosecutor Jacky Kiso told the court that the two were arrested at the Malava border in Busia on their way to Uganda and were likely to flee if granted bail and bonds.
Indala tearfully narrated to the court how she discovered her child missing after returning home during the day.
She had informed Sendi that she had a visitor who would pick a camera at the house during the day, but when the visitor called Indala after finding the house locked, she realized that Sendi's phone was switched off.
Indala reported the matter to the Buruburu Directorate of Criminal Investigations offices, and the police dispatched an alert informing their colleagues countrywide to arrest the occupants of the car.
The case will be mentioned on October 14.
