'Miracle babies' stolen

2004-09-01 21:58

Tom Maliti

Nairobi - A hospital where babies were allegedly stolen and their parents told they were dead was the main focus of a Kenyan investigation into an alleged international child trafficking ring, officials said on Wednesday.

Five people, including the wife of a London-based Kenyan preacher, were released on bail on Wednesday after pleading innocent to charges involving two infants.

Self-proclaimed archbishop Gilbert Deya had claimed the two were among children born as the result of miracles he performed on infertile women.

One of the babies was stolen in February from Nairobi's Pumwani Maternity Hospital and "it is the centre of our investigations," police spokesperson Jaspher Ombati said.

No hospital employee has been charged so far.

Since the five suspects were detained last month, many couples have come forward seeking to claim the 20 children found with the suspects, saying their children disappeared from the hospital, Ombati said.

DNA tests found that at least 17 of the children were not related to the adults arrested, authorities said.

Deya is a prime suspect in the case, Ombati added, noting the preacher blessed infertile or post-menopausal women and sent them to Kenya purportedly to give birth.

The women claimed to have delivered babies in as little as two months and then applied to British authorities to take them back to London, he said.

Claims 'false'

In London, Deya told AP on Wednesday that all allegations against him were false.

"What is happening is a setup with the Kenyan authorities and the Church of England here in the UK ... because they are jealous of what I've done," said Deya, who has a home in Nairobi but has been successfully preaching in Britain since 1996.

When police picked up Deya's wife, Mary Juma Deya, on August 20 for questioning, they took nine children from her home and collected blood samples for DNA testing.

"One child was found a possible match. We have no doubt that's her kid," said John Maina, Kenya's head of forensic sciences.

Other tests showed that Deya was not the mother of six of the children and two tests were inconclusive.

He said police needed blood samples from Gilbert Deya to be sure.

The DNA profiles of the other women picked up with Mary Juma Deya - Rose Kiserem and Nyeko - did not match those of the nine children either, Maina said.

Deya said in London, the children "are mine and my wife's, and if they say (the) DNA doesn't match, I don't believe them."

The couple claims that all the children are theirs, but Maina said none of the children belonged to the Oderas.

- SAPA