A three-month-old baby narrowly escaped death after it was found dumped in a pit latrine in Homa Bay County.
Residents of Kachieng’ village, in Rachuonyo East sub-county, were horrified when they found the baby boy. He was first discovered by a neighbour who had gone to take a bath in the toilet which doubles up as a bathroom.
Area assistant Chief Jacktone Ogweno said the man heard the child cry and alerted fellow tenants. He said he mobilised the locals to rescue the infant.
The residents had to demolish part of the toilet to save the toddler who was wrapped in a mosquito net and left to die.
“We found the boy breathing even though the latrine was about three-quarters full,” said the administrator.
The baby was rushed to Ober Health Centre for treatment and investigations to locate his mother launched. The chief said his efforts to identify parents of the baby had proven futile.
A resident, Jacob Odongo, said: “Nobody is ready to claim ownership of the baby and nobody has complained about a missing child. We don’t understand how somebody could dump him here.”
“I have sent reports to various health facilities to get records of women who gave birth recently to enable us identify the mother in case the boy was born in one of the facilities,” added the chief.
