An American couple living in Kenya is in distress after their child was reportedly taken from their custody on April 5 by 11 DCI officers who did not identify themselves or reveal their names.
The Kenyan-based US couple, Matt and Daisy Mazzoncini hold that the child, a boy aged three, was taken away from their apartment in Westlands and they do not know of his whereabouts hitherto.
They add that officers did not produce any court order or a warrant to justify their raid.
The young boy who has been under their care since 2017 is said to be sickly.
The couple has since filed an urgent petition seeking to have the court direct the DCI officers to produce the child in court immediately.
The DCI through its official Twitter handle on April 5 posted that they had rescued a child from the custody of two Americans.
The tweet was later pulled down after intervention by the American Embassy.
Understandably, the couple was granted legal guardian rights in 2017 after rescuing the boy and his twin brother who had been wrapped in a polythene bag and dumped outside a church in Kiambu.
Daisy, a volunteer missionary worker in Kenya since 2016 took care of the boy after his twin brother died moments after the rescue.
According to the couple's lawyer Danstan Omari, they have used Sh11 million so far for the boy's medication as he suffers from a "heart and neurological condition".
Daisy adds that the boy suffers epileptic seizures which require him to be on "anti-seizure medicine three times a day."
Before the events on April 5, the couple was scheduled to fly to the US together with the child for specialised treatment.
They had applied for consent from the Children's Court to travel abroad with the child. The matter will be heard on May 14.
The couple has been in dispute with the Child Welfare Society and the Mogra orphanage in Kiambu over its quest to fully adopt the boy.
The orphanage has contested the decision by the Children’s Court that granted the couple legal guardianship of the young boy.
The court issued an order restraining the orphanage from interfering with the guardianship of the child.
Further, the Child Welfare Society (CWS), has among other things, accused the Mazzoncini's of falsifying medical records, child trafficking, and motive to flee the country with the boy.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has termed the incident unfortunate noting that it is "cruel for the child."
Omari has since filed a habeas corpus application with the court under a certificate of urgency in the effort to recover the child.
DCI boss George Kinoti and CWS could not be reached for comment.