A woman from Sotik has recounted how financial hardship and emotional distress pushed her into selling her nine-month-old son, a decision that ultimately saw her sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Magdalene Chelangat said her ordeal began in 2022 while she was working in Nakuru. During a visit to Kericho, she met a man who sold SIM cards. After buying one from him, they exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch. Their friendship quickly blossomed into a romantic relationship.
A few months later, the man lost his job in Kericho and moved to Bomet County, where he found work picking coffee. While they were still together, Chelangat became pregnant.
She said that after he failed to repay a loan he had taken from his employer, he persuaded her to relocate with him to his rural home in Narok County so they could start a family. She agreed and moved in with him.
However, things took a different turn once she arrived. A relative informed her that her partner had sold all his land and squandered the money on alcohol, entertainment and multiple women, leaving him with nothing.
Chelangat also claimed that he began controlling her movements and even prevented her from using social media, leading to frequent disagreements between them.
The relationship deteriorated further when he asked to borrow her mobile phone, claiming that his had gone off. She handed it over, but when he returned later that evening, he only brought back the SIM card, having allegedly sold the handset.
Angered by what had happened, Chelangat decided to leave him and return to her parents’ home.
She later gave birth to a baby boy and informed the child’s father. Although he sent her a small amount of money to buy necessities for the newborn, she said she was left to raise the child alone.
The burden of single motherhood, coupled with financial struggles, took a heavy toll on her mental health. She said she reached a point where she considered taking both her own life and that of her baby.
Instead, she sought out a woman who did not have children and agreed to sell her nine-month-old son for KSh200,000.
Chelangat said she handed over the child with an understanding that she would receive the money later, before returning home and attempting to continue with her life.
The disappearance of the baby soon raised suspicion among neighbours, who reported the matter to local authorities. Investigations were launched, leading to her arrest.
When she was arraigned in court, Chelangat initially refused to reveal the child’s whereabouts. She claimed she had even been advised to deny that she had ever given birth in the hope that the case would collapse.
However, the investigating officer presented her antenatal clinic records and the child’s birth notification, which confirmed that she was the baby’s mother.
The court found her guilty after considering the evidence presented and sentenced her to 20 years in prison.
