In a groundbreaking exposé by the BBC, a Kenyan hospital employee has been found guilty of child trafficking after being caught in the act of selling a baby on the black market.
Fred Leparan, a former employee of Nairobi’s Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital, was captured on camera accepting a hefty sum of $2,500 (£2,000) to facilitate the sale of a baby boy who was under the hospital’s care. This illicit operation came to light as a result of a meticulous investigation by BBC Africa Eye, leading to Leparan’s arrest in 2020.
Leparan faced charges of child theft alongside another hospital staff member, Selina Awour, who was found guilty of three counts of child neglect but acquitted of child trafficking. The sentencing for both individuals is scheduled for September 26.
The BBC’s Africa Eye team initiated the investigation when they received information from a confidential source, suggesting Leparan’s involvement in the illegal child trafficking trade within the government-run hospital.
Posing as prospective buyers, an undercover reporter engaged with Leparan, who exhibited minimal concern for their circumstances before agreeing to sell the baby boy.
On the day designated for the baby’s transfer from the hospital to a government-run children’s home, Leparan was captured on camera falsifying the transfer paperwork to conceal the true number of children being moved.
While the BBC team ensured all three children reached their intended destination, Leparan altered the paperwork, indicating that the child now belonged to the undercover buyers.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, this case endured a lengthy legal process. Leparan had access to a formidable legal defense in Kenya, but his testimony during the trial wcould have been more consistentand evasive. Despite his undeniable presence, he even attempted to disown his voice in the undercover footage.
This shocking investigation only scratched the surface of a complex issue in Kenya, where demand for stolen children persists. Factors driving this demand include cultural stigma surrounding infertility and adoption and a cumbersome legal adoption process.
Leparan’s hospital-based scheme is just one facet of this multifaceted problem. Africa Eye also exposed traffickers orchestrating the buying and selling of babies in illegal street clinics and the brazen theft and sale of babies from vulnerable, homeless mothers on the city’s streets.
The story took a grim turn when Mary Auma, running a clinic where vulnerable mothers gave birth and sold their babies for profit, disappeared after being exposed by the undercover team. Upon a recent visit to Nairobi, Auma was nowhere to be found, and her clinic had shut down.
Tragically, child abductions continue in Nairobi. Near the location of the shuttered clinic, a troubled woman approached the BBC team, holding a flyer featuring her missing five-year-old granddaughter, Chelsea Akinye. Chelsea had been abducted over a year ago, and her grandmother, Rosemary, had been tirelessly searching for her.
Reliable statistics on child trafficking in Kenya remain scarce. According to Florence Bore, the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection, between July 2022 and May 2023, 6,841 children were reported missing, with only 1,296 successfully reunited with their families.
Mueni Mutisya, from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Child Trafficking Unit, reported receiving an average of five new child abduction cases weekly, with the most vulnerable families being the most brutal hit.
Following the initial 2020 investigation, Kenya’s then-minister for labor and social protection, Simon Chelugui, vowed to take stringent government action against child trafficking, promising severe consequences for the perpetrators.
While new laws were implemented to bolster child protection in Kenya, Ms. Mueni argued that more action is required. She advocated for legislation obligating the public to report any suspicions of child abuse or abduction, emphasizing the shared responsibility of safeguarding children.
Despite some progress, the most vulnerable children in Nairobi continue to be those from impoverished families, particularly in slum areas. Maryana Munyendo, head of the charity Missing Child Kenya, disclosed that their toll-free line still receives an average of three reports of missing children daily, highlighting the urgency of addressing this ongoing crisis.
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