Police in Marsabit County have arrested two individuals suspected of procuring an illegal abortion following an operation conducted in the area.
In a statement issued on January 4, 2026, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said officers apprehended a 23-year-old woman, Morme Wario, together with a 50-year-old man identified as Haron Muthuri, a suspected unlicensed practitioner who allegedly carried out the procedure.
The arrests followed alarming reports from Malkalakore village in Drib-Gombo, where residents found a lifeless male foetus, estimated to be about six months old, wrapped in clothing.
Police responded to the scene, recovered the body, and transferred it to Marsabit Referral Mortuary for preservation.
“Investigations quickly zeroed in on Wario, who had been visibly pregnant just days earlier but was suddenly not pregnant and without a child,” DCI said.
During questioning, she admitted to being the mother of the deceased foetus and led officers to the clinic where the abortion was allegedly performed.
At the premises, police found Muthuri operating without registration. A search of the facility uncovered assorted drugs and surgical instruments, some bearing fresh blood stains.
Wario was rushed to Marsabit Referral Hospital for urgent medical attention and was later escorted, alongside Muthuri, to Marsabit Police Station. Both suspects remain in custody pending arraignment.
The DCI urged members of the public to volunteer information on criminal activities through the #FichuaKwaDCI programme by calling 0800 722 203 (toll-free) or via WhatsApp on 0709 570 000.
According to available data, about 2,600 people die annually in Kenya due to unsafe abortions, while an estimated 21,000 require hospitalisation.
Although the 2010 Constitution permits abortion when a pregnant person’s life or health is at risk under Article 26(4), the Penal Code continues to criminalise the practice.
Based on 2012 statistics, the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) estimates that nearly 465,000 Kenyan women undergo abortions each year.
Experts say that more than half of all abortions are performed unsafely, with herbs, coat hangers, spoons, knitting needles and harmful pharmaceuticals.
In the past, criminal cases have been taken against medical professionals who have performed abortions, heightening the need to establish legality around abortion.
