Rhonda family reunited with baby Maya who went missing last year
Maya's Mother Maureen Gesare during an interview at their home in Rhonda on January 10, 2025.
A nine-month-old baby kidnapped in Rhonda estate in October last year has been found and reunited with her parents.
Maya Kerubo who is now one-year-old was found thanks to the intervention of a landlady who suspected that one of her tenants was looking after a child who did not appear to be hers.
According to Lilian Moraa, baby Maya's grandmother, a woman from Bahati called her and started asking questions about Maya.
Upon further questioning, the woman asked to see a photo of Maya so she could confirm her suspicions.
Maya's grandmother, Lilian Moraa, during an interview at their home in Rhonda after Maya was found and brought back home.
Without hesitation, Ms Moraa shared a photo via WhatsApp and the woman was able to confirm that Maya was indeed being looked after by another woman who was a tenant on her plot.
"From her side, the woman also sent me a photo and to my shock, it was Maya. The woman had found out about Maya's search through a YouTube video she had come across and decided to contact us. She explained that she had met one of the tenants, a middle-aged woman, who was looking after Maya. Her care of the child made her doubt that she was really the child's mother," she says.
The woman who took Maya has since been arrested.
"We presented the child's birth certificate at the police station and she was handed over to us on January 8, 2025. As a family, we are happy and grateful to the lady who informed us of Maya's whereabouts, to the police for coming and making the arrest, and to all the people in the community who helped us search for Maya," says Moraa, while expressing gratitude to all the people who have stepped in to help them get their grandchild back.
"The woman who took Maya said she did it because she lied to her husband about being pregnant. For her to have the nerve, while in police custody, to offer me money to get Maya back and cover up her shameful lies, makes me very angry," she says.
At her home in Rhonda, Maya's grandmother, Lilian Moraa, could not hide her joy as she held her granddaughter, noting that it had been a difficult time for them as a family. Recalling her search for Maya, she said she had gone from estate to estate looking for her granddaughter.
"I was afraid I would lose her forever. If not for the woman who called me, this household would still be filled with sadness. I thank God our conversation was fruitful because Maya is back with us," she says.
Maya's mother Maureen Gesare, overwhelmed with emotion, also expressed her gratitude that her child had been found.
"God has wiped away my tears in front of my enemies. Many in the community had started saying that I sold my child for money, but I am happy that she is back with us and safe. It was hard to see her clothes and to see other people playing with their children while mine was still missing. Her cries stayed with me and I just hoped that one day we would be reunited," she says.
"I have experienced the pain of losing a child and I would not wish it on any parent. Parents should take care of their children and keep them safe at all times," she says.