Piece by: KNA by Lilian Mueni

16 September 2021

A man has been fined Sh.150, 000 by a Makueni court, for neglecting and exposing a nine-month-old baby to harsh conditions, at Wote Green Park in Makueni County.

Abdi Adan, was found guilty before the Chief Magistrate, James Mwaniki, for willingly leaving the child in the cold night on June 10, 2021.

His wife Abigail Kamanthe, who was charged along with Abdi, was however acquitted, on grounds of a Probation Report which took into consideration the age of the innocent child and the fact that the offence was committed while the baby was with the father.

“All the evidence presented to the court confirms that Abdi took the child and it is without a doubt that Kamanthe was reluctant because she knew the child was in safe hands. This clearly shows, she had no intention of neglecting her child,” Mwaniki ruled.

Consequently, Magistrate Mwaniki ordered Kamanthe to take care of the child under close supervision of her parents at home.

A witness told the Court that the accused took the child from his mother at their home on June 10 at 8 pm, after an argument with the wife.

“I heard a commotion at Kamanthe’s house, which is three houses apart from my house, the baby was crying and went to check what was happening and saw Abdi leaving with the baby in his arms,” narrated the witness.

In his mitigation, Abdi pleaded with the court for leniency, saying he has blood pressure and he is the breadwinner to two wives and 10 children.

In his judgement, Mwaniki fined the offender Sh. 150,000 or in default serve two and half years in prison.

The offender has 14 days to appeal.