BY CYPRIAN KIMUTAI
A seven year-old boy, who was kidnapped and trafficked to Kenya in 2016, is set to be reunited with his family after he was tracked to the east African country.
Awakhiwe Ackim Ncube was only two when he was seperated from his family and was being kept at an orphanage in Kenya.
Awakhiwe was kidnapped and drugged with two other children by the kidnappers who were headed to Kenya.
The other two children were not Zimbabwean.
Upon reaching the Kenyan border, Awakhiwe is said to have kicked up dust by crying and demanding to be returned to his mother.
Alert border officials became suspicious and detained the kidnappers as Awakhiwe was speaking in isiNdebele.
They thought the child was Zimbabwean or South African.
The suspected kidnappers, Margaret Juma Magero and David Ochieng Omentho, believed to be man and wife, were arraigned before senior principal magistrate, Diana Mochache in Shanzu Principal courts on December 13, 2016.
Mochache directed that Awakhiwe and the two children be placed under the custody of Happy Children’s home in Nairobi until their parents are found.
A month after he was last seen in his grandparents’ backyard, his parents got to learn of his whereabouts thanks to pictures on social media.
“One of the neighbours in Zimbabwe brought a picture which was sent by his son who is in South Africa.
“They went with it to show the grandfather of the child who saw without doubt that it was his grandson,” said his mother, Nobekezelo Maseko.
Nobekezelo reached out to the orphanage and a woman who runs it confirmed that her Awakhiwe was a resident at the home.
She said: “I sent her a picture and Awakhiwe identified me. The mother, who keeps them, asked us which name are we using when we call him, we said Kim, which is short for Ackim.
“She then said called him by that name and he answered back.”
The other two kids have since been identified, extradited to their home countries and reunited with their families.
But for Nobekezelo the wait goes on.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said a full statement will be issued today. – Pulse/VicFallsLive