Woman charged with child stealing

Peletina Andeke Shitera at Makadara law courts. Picture/ShahidiNews

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 4- A youthful woman was charged with child theft after a friend she took to her sister in law’s house disappeared with her four-year-old child.

Peletina Andeke Shitera is accused of jointly stealing the child from Caroline Jelimo – her brother’s wife with the other woman in Mlango Kumbwa area in Pangani, Nairobi on March 1.

Shitera denied the charges before chief magistrate Angelo Kithinji of Makadara law courts on Wednesday. Neither the other woman nor the child has been found.

Shitera went to Jelimo’s house with the said friend and begged her to house the friend for the night, while promising she will collect her the next day.

Jelimo left the house at dawn and later received a call from Shitera at around 9am informing her that the woman who had spent the night at Jelimo’s house was missing and the child as well.

She reportedly told Jelimo that she was headed to Pangani police station to report the incident.

Jelimo arrived at the station at midday and found that Shitera had not made any reports. Her phone was switched off.

During investigations, Shitera reportedly told police that she had met the missing woman suspected to have left with her brother’s child the same day and knew nothing about her.

The suspect was freed on a Sh400,000 cash bail. The case will be heard from July 12.