Could this be the most callous mother in Machakos?

A woman in her late 20s was on Saturday, September 14, arrested for allegedly abandoning her three children aged 6, 4 and 1.

The woman’s neighbours at Eastleigh Estate in Machakos Town say that the suspect has, of late, developed a habit of locking up her children (two sons and a daughter) in her single-room house, and leaving for an unknown destination for nearly five days.

“We would hear the children cry for help every time she locks them up and goes on her unknown errands,” a neighbour who sought anonymity told K24 Digital.

“When she returns home and we ask her where she was, she would tell us to mind our business, and not hers,” added the neighbour.

The residents, who had had enough of the woman’s callous treatment of her children, reported her to police, leading to her arrest on Saturday.

The suspect, identified as Mwajuma Mohammed, is being held at Machakos Police Station.

Her middle-aged boyfriend, who was present during her arrest, also wondered where the woman had been, given his frequent phone calls to her went unanswered throughout the period she was away.

The nature of work Mwajuma engages in remains unclear.

The woman’s three children (two boys aged 6 and 1, and 4-year-old girl) were taken to the Department of Children's Services (DCS) in Machakos.

Section 6 of Kenya’s Children Act says a child shall have a right to live with and to be cared for by his or her parents.

When that right is contravened, the High Court can give directions as it may consider appropriate for the purpose of enforcing or securing the enforcement of a child’s right to parental care.

Machakos OCPD Joseph Tanei confirmed the incident to K24 Digital.