Staff members working in government hospitals have been exposed for selling newborn babies. This follows a request made by nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri, who sought a statement from the Standing Committee on Health regarding allegations of child trafficking in government health facilities and informal clinics.
In her statement, Okenyuri requested that the committee provide a detailed report on the ongoing investigations into allegations of child trafficking facilitated by staff in government health facilities.
The senator specifically wants the committee to address claims that a social worker attached to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital has been involved in the sale of multiple children.
The lawmaker also wants the committee to outline the disciplinary and legal actions taken against government employees found complicit in child trafficking cases.
Senator Okenyuri Seeks MPs’ Intervention After Staff Exposed for Selling Newborn Babies
Additionally, she seeks clarification on the collaborative measures in place between law enforcement agencies, health authorities, and child protection services to dismantle these illegal operations.
At the same time, the MP wants the committee to provide a status report on the licensing and regulatory oversight of private health facilities, explaining why unlicensed clinics continue to operate unchecked.
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The committee should also submit a list of licensed and unlicensed clinics in Kayole and other identified hotspots in informal settlements.
This list should outline any actions being taken to shut down illegal clinics allegedly involved in child trafficking.
Furthermore, the committee is expected to indicate the measures being implemented to ensure compliance with health regulations and the closure of facilities engaged in illegal activities.
Cases of Child Trafficking in Kenya
This comes after International Labour Organization (ILO) Project Manager Grace Banya revealed last year that child labor and trafficking are still rampant in Kenya, despite key interventions implemented by the government to curb the vice.
Last year, police in Eldoret uncovered a network of child trafficking syndicates, where certain employees of private hospitals were colluding with traffickers by processing fake birth notifications. These fraudulent documents were used by traffickers to acquire birth certificates, which were ultimately utilized to transport stolen children.
In connection with the syndicate, three middle-aged women, including two employees of a private hospital, were arrested.
In 2020, three hospital staff were arrested during a probe into the theft and sale of babies, with accusations that some public hospitals and care homes were colluding with organized crime.
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Authorities acted after a BBC investigation revealed how Kenyan child trafficking syndicates—ranging from street clinics to a government-run hospital—were stealing babies from vulnerable mothers and selling them for as little as $400 (Ksh 52,000).
The then-inspector general of Police Hillary Mutyambai announced that three medical officers from a public hospital had been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the sale of newborn babies.
“During an operation by police to unearth the organized crime, police officers noted with a lot of concern that local public hospitals and children’s homes within Nairobi are involved,” said Mutyambai in a statement.
“In the course of the investigations and operations, it is unfortunate that it was realized senior medical officers in collision with the child smugglers are highly involved.”
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