Kampala — Police in Uganda and Kenya are probing alleged child trafficking in the region. The bursting of a racket in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, last week has fueled the action. Police rescued several children who were due to be smuggled to Europe when they raided the home of a missionary.

The children, all aged below 10, were found at the home of Pastor Gilbert Deya, east of Nairobi.

Police are now investigating the Pastor, who claims the children are "miracle babies" born through the power of prayer. He claims they were begot after he cast demons from women who could not hitherto conceive naturally or were in menopause.

The women are reportedly brought to Kenya, where they would give birth before returning to London. Deya runs an evangelical Gilbert Deya Ministries, based in London.

The Nairobi raid, Friday, followed a tip off from Uganda's Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID). The latter are holding a Ugandan woman, suspected of child trafficking (see related story below).

Ugandan police believe the child was due to be used in ritual sacrifice but Kenyan police are believe the child and others were due to be trafficked to Europe.

Nairobi police are appealing to women who have lost children to come forth and identify the 19 children recovered from Pastor Deya's home. Others were recovered from the home of one Ms Eddah Odera and her husband Michael in Nairobi. Odera told police she gave birth to the 13 miracle babies and that 11 of them survived.

Kenyan police are also holding Ms Deya and one Miriam Nyeko, described as a 40-year-old Ugandan born Briton, who claimed she also gave birth to a miracle baby.

DNA tests are being conducted to verify claims that they gave birth to the so-called miracle babies.

Police spokesman Assuman Mugenyi told Sunday Monitor that they were working with Uganda's Immigration Department to close the gaps on suspected human trafficking in the country.

"What is common is trafficking in women as sex slaves and children" Mugenyi said. He accused fake NGOs and 'churches' of setting up shop in Uganda to deceive Ugandans that they can arrange for them a life abroad.

He added: "There are people we have arrested forging documents on Nasser Road and opposite the taxi park". In an interesting twist, the Gilbert Deya Ministries claim on their website that pastor Deya healed one Jane Mpologoma, a daughter of Sir Edward Mutesa, the late Kabaka of Buganda.

Jane, who reportedly suffered from hallucinations, alcohol addiction and fibroids, was once hospitalised in a psychiatric ward at Huddinge hospital in Sweden, according to the site. Deya reportedly healed her and her husband who was suffering from diabetes.

Meanwhile, Zurah Nakabugo reports that Police have arrested a woman suspected of kidnapping a child from Kenya. Robina Namuddu's luck ran out when her neighbours tipped off police that she was keeping a two-and-half-year-old German boy, Harry Junior, on Friday.

She allegedly kidnapped the boy in Mombasa last month. Namuddu, 34, a resident of Kasugu Zone in Muyenga, a city suburb, is detained at the Central Police Station.

The commissioner in charge of serious crimes at the Criminal Investigations Directorate, Mr Edison Mbiringi, said early in the week that Namuddu would be charged with 'abduction with intent to murder the child'.

"Namuddu was arrested for human trafficking or kidnapping of children from different places and using them for human sacrifice," Mbiringi said. He alleged that it wasn't the first time Namuddu engaged in child kidnapping.

"Namuddu was found with a German child, believed to have been kidnapped from Mombasa last month. She was arrested from Mr Mwesigwa's home in Muyenga and the child was found in custody of Ms Lillian Mwesigwa," he said.

Mwesigwa told police that Namuddu left the child at their home. Namuddu said she got the child from a Tanzanian maid in Mombasa after paying her K Shs10,000 upon acceptance by the child's mother, Ms Lunos Linzi - a resident of Shanzu in Mombasa.

"We are proceeding with investigations with Kenyan police to crosscheck their records if they have a report of a missing child," Mbiringi said.

He said if Kenya confirms the kidnap, the child would be sent back. Namuddu would also be charged in Kenya.