3-weeks baby abandoned by unknown mother in Iganga

IGANGA, UGANDA: Police in Iganga municipality have launched a hunt for a heartless mother who decided to abandon her baby and proceeded.

The baby girl was abandoned in Kilowa zone of Iganga Northern Division, Iganga municipality in Iganga district at around midnight on Sunday.

The probation officer Iganga municipality, Basiba Yusuf has confirmed the incident saying that they managed to take the baby for examination.

“We got sad information at around 11:00pm from the chairperson Northern Division, telling us that there was an abandoned baby in his area. We reached there and found a baby girl in a seemingly good condition and later on, was examined and found that the baby was okay,” Mr Basiba said.

He also said that the baby suspected to be three weeks old was taken to Faith Babys’ Home in Iganga district for the suitable care.

Basiba urged locals to report any person suspected to have done this heartless act to authorities.

“The baby is suspected to be three weeks old. We call upon residents in Iganga and extra that if there is a person who has been having a baby and now you’re not seeing her with the baby, we request you to report that person to authorities in Iganga. You can report to police, probation office or LC 1 office in Kilowa zone,” Mr Basiba added.

However, Mr Basiba urged people especially the ladies to always be responsible and refrain from such barbaric acts.

Meanwhile, the habit of abandoning children by their mothers continue to be a challenge in Uganda.

According to reports, an estimated number of 40 to 80 newborn babies are abandoned by their mothers in Kampala- Uganda annually and this number is not far away from that estimated across other districts. These children are usually dumped into dust bins, on streets, at hospital facilities, in bushes or pit latrines.