Kiambu: 27-Year-Old Woman Arrested After Her Child Dies in Gatundu South, Police Investigate
A 27-year-old woman named Sylvia Wanjiru has been arrested. Her two-year-old child was found dead in a valley near their home in Chura Village, Gatundu South, Kiambu County. This happened on the evening of Saturday, July 5. The child’s father found the body after following footprints from their house. Police say they are still investigating.
Reports say Wanjiru walked with her child to a valley near their home. The child was eating maize at the time. The child was later found dead at the spot, near the grave of the child’s grandmother.
Before this happened, the child’s father had gone to a nearby shop to buy diapers. When he came back home, his wife and child were not there. He followed footprints and walked into the valley. That is where he found Wanjiru sitting next to their child’s body.
Police were called. The child’s body was taken to the mortuary. Wanjiru was arrested. No charges have been confirmed yet, and police are still looking into what happened.
What neighbours say
People who know Wanjiru say she has had mental health struggles before. They say she had gone missing from home more than once, but was always found and brought back by family. Police have not said if this will be part of their investigation.
Chura Village is a small, close community. Many people there are finding it hard to understand how this could happen.
Cases like this often surface a difficult, under-discussed reality in Kenya: the gap between recognising that someone is struggling with their mental health and getting them sustained clinical support. Neighbours’ accounts here describe a woman whose distress was visible to people around her long before this tragedy, raising questions about what support systems exist for families in similar situations in rural Kiambu.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, Befrienders Kenya (0722 178 177) and the Kenya Red Cross mental health helpline (1199, toll-free) offer confidential support.