Woman sentenced to three years over child theft in love triangle saga

A court in Mombasa sentenced a 26-year-old woman who stole a three-year-old child, presumably in revenge for the minor’s mother’s romantic relationship with her estranged husband.

Asha Wanyonyi, who appeared before Principal Magistrate Jamlick Murithi, was charged with child stealing contrary to Section 174(1)(a) of the Penal Code.

The court heard that Wanyonyi stole the minor with intent to deprive Mispher Chepkenoi of her lawful guardianship of the child on 20 March 2026, at the Soweto/Kiwerera area in Likoni Sub-county, Mombasa.

The accused pleaded guilty twice, and despite being warned by the court of the consequences, maintained her plea.

The court subsequently called for a pre-sentence report from the Probation Department, a report that provides deeper context on the offence committed by the accused person.

The pre-sentence report guided the court in making an appropriate sentence against the accused, noting a love triangle.

The love triangle pitted the offender, her estranged husband, and the complainant, who was the husband’s mistress, creating emotional tension among all three adults involved deeply.

In a bid for revenge, the accused waited for the woman to leave her home for work, leaving her child to be tended by her grandmother.

As the elderly woman was busy inside the house with chores, the accused tiptoed and snatched the playing child.

She quickly retreated to her house, packaged her belongings and crossed the busy Likoni ferry before boarding a western Kenya-bound bus, with Bungoma being her ultimate destination.

Along the journey, she texted the minor’s mother, who was busy at work, informing her of her decision to snatch her child.

The traumatized mother hurriedly left her job to report the incident at Likoni police station, with detectives launching a manhunt for the woman, who was later tracked to Bungoma where she was found with the minor.

In the pre-sentence report, the offender conceded that she committed the offence out of jealousy over her husband having an extramarital affair with the minor’s mother.

She unlawfully took the child belonging to the complainant, intending to disrupt the affair and assert control over the emotionally strained situation as alleged herein.

The offender expressed remorse for the emotional distress caused, admitting anger and bitterness arising from the love triangle involving her husband and the complainant.

The matter involved a prolonged love triangle lasting two years between the three adults, driven by extramarital relations and provocation that ultimately led to the illegal act of child theft.

There have been rampant cases of child stealing cases in Mombasa hence the court gave a deterrence sentence to the accused.