NTV camera operator Winny Chepkemoi in Kericho has warmed the hearts of many Kenyans after she rescued a baby who was stranded in the cold on Sunday night, June 20.
According to Chepkemoi, she noticed the 1-year-old baby by the roadside next to a woman who seemed drunk.
"I saw a kid standing beside the woman and when I turned back, I saw the baby shaking from the night cold. I talked to the mother and she was completely drunk, she could not even tell where she was coming from. She told me to take the baby with me," she explained.
The camera operator then called the police to take the woman off the street and sought authority to take care of the child.
After the child’s mother was arrested, Chekemoi took the child to her house where she noticed the baby was in dire need.
"The baby was hungry and emaciated and looked like he had gone through hell. I could not sleep the whole night. I changed her and gave her some food and milk. I think the kid has been suffering for real. She is about one year and a few months old," the photojournalist.
She also raised concern over the rise in irresponsible alcohol consumption among mothers in the area.
"What I know about this area, Majengo, is that most women are drunkards. Even now, I can see them drinking alcohol with their children on their backs.
"It is something which has been going on. The women go take alcohol in the morning and do not even care if their children have eaten or not," she concluded.
Winny Chepkemoi the daring journalist
Winny Chepkemoi was assaulted by police officers in Nakuru in 2020 as she bravely covered the release of Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng'eno from custody.
Chepkemoi said one of the officers slapped her and injured her left arm, demanding to know why she was recording footage.
He attacked her with a wooden plank as she shielded herself, demanding to know why she was being harassed.
"You can do what you want. It does not matter if you are a journalist. You should not take pictures here," said the officer.
The MP had been arrested after issuing disparaging remarks about President Uhuru Kenyatta and his mother and was released on a Sh2 million bond with a surety or a Sh1 million cash bail.
His release turned dramatic after officers tried to disperse the crowd that wanted to escort the MP home.
One of the pedestrians was hit and almost run over by one of the police cars.