3 medical officers from a public Hospital in Nairobi have been arrested in connection with a child trafficking syndicate following a year-long investigation by the BBC Africa Eye that revealed the intricate operations of baby buying and selling syndicate in Kenya.
Inspector-General of Police Hilary Mutyambai says the 3 will be arraigned in Court, even as investigations continue, with the IG saying there is a likely hood that more people will be arrested.
Mutyambai said the police working with other partners have unearthed a child trafficking syndicate in Nairobi that involves local public hospitals and children's homes.
”As the investigations continue there’s a possibility that more persons will be arrested,” read part of the official statement.
“In the course of investigations and operations, it is unfortunate that it was realized that senior medical officers in collusion with child smugglers are highly involved,” He said.
According to BBC, the racket involves 'trusted members of the community, well-placed government officials including employees in public hospitals in a trade that has robbed hundreds of women of their children for the financial benefit of a few leaving behind a trail of pain and despair.' The syndicate involves street child-snatching, Pregnant poor women coercion, and even disappearing babies in hospitals.
Mutyambai has now directed all County Police Commanders to work closely with local children officers and other local security agencies to immediately undertake investigations on matters touching on child trafficking in their respective regions especially in local public, private hospitals and children homes.
The Kenyan government has also constituted a multi-agency team to investigate allegations of child theft and trafficking in the country.
He also appealed to members of the public to volunteer information on any suspicious activities involving child trafficking saying the information will be used with the utmost confidentiality. The Labour and Social Services Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui said the investigation is at a preliminary stage to establish all the networks behind the syndicate.
“Following this expose, a team of officers and experts from the relevant government agencies has been constituted to exhaustively investigate and take the necessary action. As the Government of Kenya, we do not condone child trafficking and we will do everything possible to get to the bottom of this issue,” he said during a press briefing at Kenya’s capital, Nairobi on Tuesday.
Kenyans are now been asked to report any case involving child trafficking to Child Helpline 116, the police, or relevant government agencies.