By P, KNA
A mother has been sentenced to eight months in prison by a Murang’a court after being found guilty of child neglect.
30-year-old Jane Ndungu appeared before the Murang’a Law Courts facing charges of willfully neglecting the welfare of her 12-year-old daughter between March 2024 and June 2025, a case that has sparked public outcry in Mukuyu, Murang’a County.
According to prosecution reports, the single mother knowingly and deliberately failed to care for her daughter, causing her to become a child in need of care and protection.
The girl was reportedly found living on the streets of Mukuyu, without access to food, shelter, education or medical care.
Investigations revealed the child, now institutionalized at the Murang’a Juvenile Remand Home, survived with help from well-wishers and was at times forced to trade her body for food and basic necessities.
She was not enrolled in school and had allegedly been introduced to cannabis sativa by her mother.
Authorities further noted the girl often slept outside, especially when her mother was entertaining male guests in their poorly maintained home.
“The conditions this child was found in were heartbreaking,” said a child protection officer involved in the case. “No child should ever have to endure what she went through.”
Community members and local leaders confirmed the family had long been in crisis. The Mukuyu village chief said Ndung’u had no fixed residence and moved frequently, frustrating efforts by neighbours and local authorities to intervene.
“She was always on the move. We’d hear complaints, but she never stayed in one place long enough for meaningful action,” the chief stated
One neighbour told the court, “We saw the child suffering. She was unkempt, hungry, and often alone. We tried talking to her mother several times, but she would dismiss us or react defensively,”.
During her court appearance, Jane Ndung’u expressed deep remorse and pleaded for a non-custodial sentence. Tearfully, she admitted her failures and pledged to change.
“I failed my daughter and I am ashamed,” she told the court. “I beg this court to give me a chance to make things right and rebuild my relationship with her.
The child told the court to forgive her mother saying she is the only relative she has since her dad left when she was younger.
Despite her plea, Chief magistrate Peter Ndwiga ruled that the gravity of neglect warranted custodial punishment.
Ndung’u was sentenced to eight months in prison, with the court emphasizing the need for accountability in matters involving child welfare.
The child remains under state protection as authorities work with the Department of Children Services to determine a suitable long-term care arrangement.