Mom Pregnant With Sixth Child Starved, Beat Up And Neglected Her 5 Elder Children

Five malnourished children, who were regularly beaten up by their mother and left unattended without food or water, have been rescued from their home in Kenya.

The police and the children’s department officers arrived at the home in Machakos county Saturday morning after receiving several reports of child neglect from nearby residents. The officers found the five children, aged between two and 15 years, in poor health conditions. They were rescued and rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

"We have rescued five children from their mother at Mitituni village who has been beating them up and neglecting them for long. All the children are malnourished and in bad condition so they will get medical treatment first," officer Emily Kimanzi told Kenya News.

Investigation revealed that the mother, identified as Mueni Mwanza, used to leave the children unattended for several days without food and water. The accused, who is pregnant with her sixth child, was taken into custody from her home the same day.

Medical reports confirmed the 2-year-old child had pneumonia from poor living conditions. The child was being treated at the hospital while the other children were later placed in a children’s home in Nairobi, The Star reported.

"The youngest child has pneumonia. They are all malnourished and need medication, protection, care, and education," Kimanzi said.

Kimanzi added she received the first complaint last year and had since been following the case. However, the accused had threatened to kill her or anyone who intervened in the matter.

"It has been difficult to track the mother and my efforts to rescue the children have been met with lots of obstacles since the woman has been threatening to kill me and everyone trying to help," Kimanzi said.

The accused was scheduled to appear in court Monday when she will be charged with child neglect. Officers said they had no information about the father of the children yet.

Earlier this year, a woman in Florida was taken into custody for allegedly locking her three young children along with two dogs inside a filthy room filled with feces. Police said the room was stinking due to the feces and urine spread on the floor and over the walls. The woman was charged with child neglect.