An 18-year-old woman was on Monday arraigned before the Malaba Law Court in Amagoro over allegations of abandoning her two-month-old baby.
The accused, Anne Mueni, appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Ocharo Momanyi, where she admitted to abandoning her biological child.
According to the charge sheet, Mueni, a resident of Machakos County, is accused of abandoning the infant on June 14, 2026, without proper care or assistance, thereby exposing the child to danger.
During the proceedings, Mueni’s mother-in-law, Gentrix Wabwire, presented the baby in court and confirmed that the child has been under her care since the alleged abandonment.
Wabwire told the court that Mueni was arrested in Amukura, where her husband is reportedly from. She added that her son had also been arrested in Nairobi in connection with the matter.
The magistrate sought to establish whether the accused possessed a national identity card. Mueni told the court that she did not have one but said she had a birth certificate, which she had left in Nairobi.
In his examination, Magistrate Momanyi asked Wabwire what her son did for a living in Nairobi. She admitted that he had no formal employment.
“They met in Nairobi and got married, and their union resulted in the birth of this child. She later returned home with the baby,” Wabwire told the court.
Mueni informed the court that she was arrested in Amukura, where her husband comes from, and appealed for assistance to enable her to care for the child.
Wabwire and her husband assured the court that they were willing and ready to take care of their grandchild.
Magistrate Momanyi ordered that Mueni be remanded in custody until July 13, 2026, when the matter will be mentioned for further directions after the court receives a report from the Children’s Department.
The accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
