When Teresia Wambui was arraigned on Wednesday, October 2, she faced grave accusations that are the ultimate betrayal – breaching the trust of parents who entrusted their children under her care only for the minors to be robbed of their innocence.
From a guardian of underage children enrolled in her Apple Daycare that operates from Wangige Market, Kiambu County, Ms Wambui had been hauled on the dock at Kikuyu Law Courts to answer to charges of child pornography.
The criminal activities that police say had been going on inside the daycare center she has operated for three years, and which police say has at least 10 children at any given time, had been a well-kept dark secret until September 30.
Behind the façade of a guardian, police now believe Ms Wambui ran her facility as a front for illicit sex trade exposing innocent children to indecent acts and later selling their footage to the global underworld of pornography.
A few days ago, Ms Wambui is said to have lost her phone on her way to work.
A local resident picked it and decided to peruse through its features because it had no encrypted password, only to land on indecent photos and videos of innocent children below the age of five being introduced into child pornography.
Bitter, local residents matched into Apple Daycare and confronted her about the explicit images.
Ms Wambui is said to have grabbed the phone trying to delete the images. She was restrained and handed over to police.
While pleading with the court to detain the accused for 21 days as they conclude investigations, investigating officer Nicodemus Musembi told Kikuyu Law Courts Magistrate Lilian Kwamboka that Ms Wambui’s mobile phone is yet to be subjected to forensic to ascertain who are the beneficiaries of her acts.
''That the respondent’s mobile phone was confiscated from her as she was trying to crush it in an attempt to destroy any evidence, has in it video recordings that are yet to be retrieved and processed for them to be used as evidence.
“That the respondent is alleged to have been engaging the minors aged between two and four years in sexual activities, and touching their genital organs namely penis and vagina(sic) while recording videos of them...,’’ Mr Musembi told the court.
At the same time, the investigating officer told the court that they also intend to mine through her bank account held at Equity Bank to trace any inflows related to the incident.
''Your honour, the respondent, has a pay bill account number in Equity Bank, which is also subject to investigation to establish the motivation behind the recordings. The respondent was rescued from the members of the public, and she's at risk of being lynched if released.
“We desire to escort her to mental assessment and procure the services of an intermediary in order to obtain evidence from the vulnerable and the guardians. The rented house the respondent used has been coded as a crime scene and is yet to be processed,’’ Mr Musembi told the court.
''I have also taken into account the nature of the alleged offence and the circumstances therein. I do find the application merited. The same is hereby allowed. I will, however, grant 14 days, and should there be a need for an extension, then the applicant shall be at liberty to move the court appropriately. We can have the matter mentioned on October 17, to confirm the progress of the investigation,'' Ms Kwamboka said in her ruling.
