Advertisement

Catholic Activists in Africa Demand Justice for Aborted Baby, Deceased Mother in Kenya

Credit: CitizenGO

Members of CitizenGo Africa, the African branch of CitizenGo, are demanding justice for a baby and her mother who died following a botched abortion procedure in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. 

In a petition shared with ACI Africa on Monday, January 9, CitizenGo Africa members say they are worried that Kenyan sleuths have charged the suspected abortionists of only the mother’s murder yet a baby was killed during the botched abortion.

In a Tweet, the office of the Director of Public Prosecution says Richard Onyango’s wife walked into Watergate Abortion Centre in Nairobi’s Mathare area for an abortion procedure on the eve of New year 2023. 

Mr. Onyango had allegedly conspired with a doctor, Richard Orambo, to carry out the procedure. Orambo is said to have consulted with another rogue doctor, Francis Messo, who runs the Busanzi Health Clinic in Dandora Phase 4, in an attempt to procure the abortion. 

Mrs. Onyango allegedly developed complications during the procedure and the two doctors opted to rush her to a different backstreet clinic in Kiambu. It is while on her way to the clinic that the patient lost her life. The trio allegedly dumped her body in a stormwater tunnel in a bid to cover their tracks. 

Advertisement

Officials of the organization spearheading family issues say their January 10 online petition “is meant to seek justice for the baby who was also killed in this heinous act and seemingly no one is bothered about it.”

They say, “The Kenyan criminal sleuths arrested the culprits which is commendable but we are worried that they have only accused the abortionists of a single murder instead of two.”

“We cannot watch as the child is treated as non-existent, we will fight for justice till the end,” CitizenGo Africa officials say in the petition addressed to Kenya’s DPP, Noordin Haji.

They say there is a need for the perpetrators of the murder to be charged for the killing of the child as Kenyan laws are against abortion.

“We, therefore, demand that you prefer double murder charges against the abortionists with immediate effect as we seek justice also for the pre-born child whose life was taken away by the people who were supposed to protect them,” they say in the petition titled, “Prefer double murder charges against Richard Onyango and his accomplices”.

More in Africa

They add that “science and even the constitution of Kenya acknowledge that life begins at the moment of conception and there is no doubt that this baby had a right to life and needs justice.”

“The Constitution of Kenya in Article 26 affirms that life begins at conception. Together with the penal code, they declare abortion to be murder and a crime punishable by law,” CitizenGo Africa members say in the online petition that is seeking at least 1,000 signatures to support the call for justice for the murdered persons. 

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.