No charges against mum after deformed baby starved to death
Police in Mombasa will not take any action against a mother who refused to breastfeed her newborn who later died due to hunger.
The girl was born without and her nostrils were deformed, but later died due to breathing problems and hunger, according to the Changamwe Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Francis Wanjau.
He said their investigations revealed that the parents did not have any intentions of killing the baby who was born on Sunday morning.
“Look at the motive. If they wanted to kill the child they couldn’t have gone to different hospitals in search of medical attention. Exhuming the body would not serve anyone’s interest,” said Mr Wanjau.
He said he also probed the family on Mijikenda traditions which stipulate that a baby with deformity “should be thrown away in a sacred forest”.
TRIED THEIR BEST
“They tried their best to find a hospital where the baby could have been treated but it was futile due to poverty and lack of hospitals,” said Mr Wanjau.
Speaking to the Nation after interviewing the family, Mr Wanjau said they went to a private hospital in Changamwe and did not find help because the hospital lacked an incubator.
“The doctor in charge told them to go to Port Reitz District Hospital, however, they were turned away at the gate by the guards due to the nurses’ strike. They were told to go to Coast Provincial General Hospital so they went back home,” said Mr Wanjau.
He said the baby could not feed properly because her mouth was very small.
