A wave of shock, grief, and growing concern has swept across Tharaka Nithi county after the decomposing body of a one month old infant was discovered wrapped in black nylon paper and dumped at the roadside in Wiru along the busy Chogoria–Chuka highway.
The gruesome discovery has triggered anger and sadness among residents and leaders alike, raising serious questions about the safety and wellbeing of children in the region.
Locals who gathered at the scene were visibly distressed, with many calling for swift investigations and stronger protections for vulnerable infants across the county.
“I am very sad because of that child. I don’t know what gender the baby. How I wish I found that child alive,” said a woman who was among the first to arrive at the scene.
Another resident said the infant appeared to be about a month old, noting that the circumstances suggested the baby had not died in a medical facility.
“We have truly found that there is a child there. Looking at the child, we can approximate that the child is about one month old. That child is well covered and it shows that the child did not die at the hospital. We wonder why the child would be thrown there,” he said.
Several locals demanded justice and called on law enforcement to act swiftly and thoroughly in tracing the individuals responsible for the infant’s death.
They urged the police to leave no stone unturned in identifying, arresting, and prosecuting the perpetrators.
“Let investigations be done so that the parent of that child can be identified because I can see that child has surpassed a month since birth. This is very sad, and the authorities should take action on parents who have such behaviors,” added another resident.
County officials have confirmed that this is not an isolated case.
Kelly Karimi, the Chief Officer in charge of Children, Gender, and Social Services in Tharaka Nithi county, said the tragedy is part of a disturbing trend involving the abandonment and death of infants across the region.
“We have experienced a very bad thing, where a child has been abandoned. When we came we came to see if it was a child we could rescue but unfortunately we have discovered it’s a dead child. This month only we have had about three cases that I know, the first one was in Chuka and the other was in Chogoria near the police station,” said Karimi.
She urged struggling parents to seek help through the county’s existing child welfare programs rather than resort to abandonment.
“If you are not able to care for a child and you have got a child already and you are here in Tharaka Nithi, we have a full department for caring for children. All of you know me. My work is to care for children. Go there and leave your child there and have a phone call made to me, or you can also call me on 1513,” said Karimi.
Karimi further appealed to community members to be vigilant and report suspicious disappearances or cases involving expectant mothers whose babies are unaccounted for.
“I am calling on the community and the government — let the community become very aggressive to know that a certain person was seen expectant and you have seen them with no child and you don’t know where the child is, please follow up and let us know,” she added.
Police have launched investigations into the incident, while residents continue to demand justice and long-term solutions to prevent further cases of infant abandonment in the county.
