A Tanzanian mother is living through every parent’s worst nightmare after her one-day-old baby girl allegedly disappeared from a health facility in Manyara Region under circumstances that have left the family desperate for answers.
The heartbreaking incident reportedly occurred at Dareda Kati Health Centre in Babati District at around 9pm on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
The newborn, identified as Rahma Mpinga’s daughter, had barely begun her life when two women allegedly arrived at the health facility in a Noah vehicle, claiming to be nurses.
According to the family, the women approached the area where mothers and their newborn babies were staying and began asking questions about the babies, including their genders.
They reportedly told the mothers that they had come to take the newborns for vaccination.
What happened next has plunged one family into anguish.
The two women allegedly took Rahma’s newborn daughter away, promising to return with her shortly. But minutes turned into hours, and the women did not come back.
The mother was left waiting anxiously, unaware that she might never see her baby again.
As the reality of the situation sank in, alarm spread through the health facility. Questions quickly emerged about who the women were, how they gained access to the newborns and why they were allowed to leave with a baby.
Rahma has since made an emotional appeal for help, insisting that she cannot simply walk away from the health centre without her child.
“They came and said they wanted to take the babies for vaccination. The babies had just been born, and they asked about the gender of each child. After some time, they did not return. I want my baby, and I cannot leave here without my baby,” the distressed mother said.
The situation became even more troubling after Babati District Council Chief Medical Officer Hosea Mkanga clarified that the two women were not employees of Dareda Kati Health Centre.
Mkanga further explained that vaccination services are not offered at night and that genuine nurses working at the facility wear official uniforms and follow established procedures when attending to patients and newborns.
The clarification has deepened the mystery surrounding the disappearance.
The family is now questioning how the alleged impostors managed to enter the health facility, convince the mother that they were medical workers and leave with a newborn baby.
Local authorities have joined the police in efforts to locate the child and identify the women suspected of taking her.
Dareda Kati Village Chairman Barnabas Qrasani confirmed that local leaders had been alerted and were working closely with security officers as investigations continued.
Meanwhile, Babati Acting District Commissioner Remidius Mwema said authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and working to establish the identity and whereabouts of the suspects.
For Rahma and her family, every passing hour is filled with fear and uncertainty. Their greatest hope is that the newborn will be found alive and safely reunited with her mother.
The incident has also sparked renewed concerns about security at health facilities, particularly procedures governing access to newborn babies.
As the search continues, the family is appealing to anyone with information about the missing baby or the two women to come forward and assist the authorities.
For a mother who had expected to spend her first days holding and bonding with her newborn daughter, the night that should have been filled with joy has instead become a desperate search for answers—and for the safe return of her baby.
