Baby-selling syndicate exposed in city as three women arrested

Police have dismantled an alleged trafficking ring accused of preying on vulnerable women grappling with infertility and broken relationships, turning newborn babies into commodities for profit.

The case, which has sent shockwaves through Nairobi’s informal settlements, centres on a woman accused of masterminding a baby-selling racket. Investigators say the network sourced infants from shady clinics and sold them to desperate women seeking to salvage failing relationships or conceal personal loss.

The syndicate is alleged to have specifically targeted emotionally vulnerable women, those who had suffered miscarriages or struggled with childlessness, exploiting social pressures and personal grief for financial gain.

Betty Akinyi Nyanya, 56, and her alleged client-turned-broker Sarah Adhiambo Oloo, 42, were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Beatrice Kimemia at the Makadara Law Courts on charges of trafficking in persons and conspiracy to commit a felony.Both pleaded not guilty. A third suspect, 21-year-old Flavian Ademi, has since turned state witness after her involvement helped unravel the alleged operation.

Court documents and police reports link the trio to the recruitment, harbouring, and illegal custody of at least three newborns for unlawful adoption and financial gain.

The alleged offences occurred on March 14 and 15, 2026, in Dandora Phase 5, Njiru Sub-County, Nairobi, in collusion with others, including a doctor from a maternity clinic in Kawangware who remains at large. 

Nyanya reportedly failed to provide any details about the elusive doctor who allegedly delivered the infants to her doorstep from his clinic. 

 The investigation exploded after Ademi stormed into a police station claiming that Nyanya had “stolen” a baby boy she insisted was hers. But deeper probes exposed a far more sinister plot. Ademi, who is alleged to have suffered a miscarriage at Mwiki Dispensary, was trying to buy a baby to hide her loss from her boyfriend and salvage her relationship. 

She had reportedly struck a deal to buy a baby boy from Nyanya but defaulted on full payment, sparking a fallout that led her to report the matter to authorities. 

Acting on the complaint, police raided Nyanya’s home in Dandora Phase 5 on March 15, 2026, rescuing two infants; a three-week-old boy and a two-week-old girl. Nyanya claimed the babies had been brought to her by a man known only as Collins, who allegedly runs an unnamed maternity clinic in Kawangware.  However,she did not provide further details to help trace him, leaving the doctor still on the run. 

 During the same operation, officers traced Adhiambo to Kariobangi South, where they rescued a four-month-old baby girl in her custody. 

 DNA swaps

Adhiambo, who has denied buying the infant, allegedly admitted to Ademi that she bought the now four-month-old girl from Nyanya in November of the previous year after she suffered a miscarriage. She produced a birth notification, treatment notes, or discharge documents to support her story. 

 Investigators say she acted as a broker, connecting desperate buyers, including Ademi to Nyanya. She had even visited Mundika Clinic in Dandora to obtain vaccines and a birth notification, claiming she had delivered the baby at home. 

 Further interrogation revealed that Ademi had visited Uzima White Nursing Home on March 14, seeking a birth notification certificate while claiming she had given birth on the way to the hospital. 

 When staff demanded to see the infant, she claimed her husband and a traditional midwife would bring the child—before vanishing without producing any baby. 

 DNA buccal swabs were collected from all three suspects and the rescued infants. The samples have been sent to the Government Chemist for analysis, with results still pending to determine biological parentage. 

 In total, three minors, two girls and one boy, aged approximately two weeks, three weeks, and four months, were recovered from the custody of Nyanya and Adhiambo.  They could not  explain the infants’ origins or produce legitimate documentation.

 The case has laid bare an underground network allegedly involving rogue medical personnel and middlemen who exploit women under cultural and social pressure to bear children. 

 Nyanya is reportedly said to have priced baby boys at Sh30,000, with girls going for Sh5,000 less. 

The bust comes at a time when cases of missing children, including newborns, are on the rise across the country. 

 Susan Kibungi, for the State, reiterated that the court should take note of the severity of the offense, adding that the infant’s were vulnerable and needed maximum protection.

“The matter before court is of public interest and in the circumstances, I pray the court to exercise stringent bond and bail terms,” she said.

 Magistrate Kimemia granted each suspect a bond of Sh600,000 with no alternative cash bail.

The matter is set for mention on August 24, 2026.