Mother who was jailed for hawking in Nairobi handed her baby after 10 months wait

She would then head to the streets of Nairobi, not knowing her child would then be separated from her for months. 

While hawking in the streets, Waithera was ambushed by County Council Officers alias Kanjo, where she was arrested and taken to Kamukunji police station. 

The following day, she was arraigned in a court at City Hall, and fined a Ksh.10,000 or serve a one month jail term. 

Unable to raise the bail, Waithera was imprisoned for one month. 

“On August 8, 2023 I was set free. I went back to the day care that I left my baby only to hear that she had been handed over to police two days before,” she recalls. 

Waithera began a search in police stations, and was referred to the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK). 

The welfare society had taken over the custody of the toddler. 

Waithera then began a process to take back her baby, and had to undergo a DNA test to prove that she was the toddler’s mother. 

On Saturday, Waithera was handed her 2 year, 8 months baby. 

Nazarina Mokugu, a coordinator at CWSK stated that they made a follow-up on the matter about the mother's arrest.

She also urged parents to take good care of their children to avoid such incidents.