A woman facing charges of stealing a three-year-old child was on Monday exonerated after an Eldoret Court ruled that she was the biological mother.
Eldoret Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa made the ruling after a DNA test which was done by experts from a government hospital under the supervision of the investigating officer proved that the accused person is the biological mother of the infant.
The accused, Ursillah Jeptoo was charged in court after Lucy Chepkoech, the complainant, accused her of allegedly stealing her three-year-old.
The court had heard that the accused had stolen the baby on April 24, 2015, after Chepkoech delivered at Kapsabet County Referral Hospital.
Chepkoech said that on the material date, she had to attend to an urgent issue outside the ward and she asked a woman in the hospital to look after her baby.
The court heard that upon her return she realized her child was gone.
Jeptoo had however denied the allegations saying that she gave birth on the same day as the complainant but in Race Course Hospital in Eldoret.
The court heard that Jeptoo has been living with the baby and she was arrested on January 25, this year following the allegations by the complainant.
On February 2, this year during the case hearing, both the accused and complainant had agreed to provide DNA samples to the police and Jeptoo had also provided copies of the birth certificate and post-natal clinic records in her defense.
Magistrate Charles in his ruling said that the DNA results presented in court confirmed that the accused, Jeptoo, was the biological mother of the baby.
“The court has considered all issues presented including DNA samples from all concern parties. DNA results exonerate the accused person from the charges of stealing the baby,” ruled the magistrate as quoted by Daily Nation.
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