The child, identified as Shantel Nekesa, is said to have left school when an unknown person approached her and walked away with her, leaving her family distressed.
According to the child’s mother, CCTV footage captured the girl in the company of a stranger who later went to a nearby shop and bought cakes while with the child.
The family said they later received calls claiming the girl had been seen with a man at a nearby shopping centre, only for them to realise she had allegedly been abducted.
The incident was reported at Sagana Police Station, where officers launched a manhunt that had not borne fruit by the time of reporting.
The case comes amid growing concern over child protection in the country. The State Department for Children Services recently reported that more than 10,000 child protection cases were recorded nationwide between January 2025 and March 2026.
In a statement, Principal Secretary for Children Services CPA Carren Ageng’o said data from the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) recorded 10,581 cases under various categories, including 6,820 abandonment cases, 1,952 abductions, 1,636 missing children cases involving lost and found children, and 173 trafficking cases.
Separately, Public Health PS Mary Muthoni has urged society to rethink how it protects children, warning that old parenting approaches may not work in a fast-changing environment.
