Kenyan authorities fear hospital colluded in child trafficking
A baby kidnapped just minutes after birth is thought to have been found at the Nairobi home of Gilbert Deya, a London-based evangelist currently being investigated over claims he promised ‘miracle babies’ to childless couples in return for donations.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Deya was also housing five other children whose DNA tests have shown them to be unrelated to him or his wife.
In this particular case, after giving birth by caesarean section in Pumwani maternity hospital, Nairobi, on 5 February, Elizabeth Njenga was transferred to the main ward and told to “forget about the child” until she had recovered. The following day she was ordered to sign a death certificate for the baby she had named Salome and forbidden to tell anyone.
Salome is thought to be part of the growing incidence of child trafficking between Britain and Africa. Kenya has since applied for the extradition of Mr Deya, who sells himself as an Archbishop and despite having not released the results, the police’s decision to charge the Deyas with the abduction of Salome suggest that they are confident that Mrs Njenga is her mother.