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Puzzle over infant’s parentage after DNA test rules out two supposed ‘mothers’

By Amina Wako October 1st, 2019 2 min read

The mystery of the parentage of an infant who was reported stolen in Nakuru three months ago has deepened after DNA tests revealed that none of the two women claiming the baby are the biological mother.

The results presented before a Nakuru court on Monday omitted Lilian Auma and Calland Mwajuma as being the biological mother of the four-month-old baby.

The report presented before Principal Magistrate Bernard Mararo states that the baby had no gain of DNA from either Auma or Mwajuma.

“Based on DNA profile generated from the listed samples, both Auma and Mwajuma are excluded as biological mothers to the infant,” read the report that was compiled by Ms Pamela Okello from the government laboratory.

Investigators have now been left with more questions than answers regarding the baby’s parentage.

DNA is passed on from parent to child. A child inherits half their DNA from each parent, while each parent passes half their DNA to each child.

Detectives investigating the case of child trafficking arrested Auma in Busia County on August 11, 2019 and took her to Nakuru where the baby had allegedly been stolen from Mwajuma.

DNA RESULTS

Mwajuma had reported the baby missing on July 1, 2019 after she left the baby with her friend and stepped out for a while.

The Nakuru court stopped Auma from entering a plea to child trafficking case until the DNA results were known.

The DNA results, compiled on September 26, 2019 at the government chemist laboratory, are results from buccal swab samples obtained from the two women and the baby on August 26, 2019.

The matter has now been transferred to the State Counsel Nelly Waweru who has requested the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) office for further investigations.

The case will be mentioned on October 14 as the court awaits briefing from the prosecution in regards to investigations in to the matter.