A heartbroken Kenyan mother has shared the harrowing story of how her 4-year-old son lost his life after their househelp allegedly threw him into a well within their compound and fled.

Mercy Ogechi, from Gisembe village, Ichuni, in Nyaribari Masaba, Kisii County, broke down as she recounted to a local TV station the devastating moment she discovered her son’s lifeless body.

Ogechi explained that she had received a call from an unknown number urging her to rush home to attend to her “injured child.”

“The caller didn’t tell me what had happened — only that my child needed me urgently. I immediately tried calling my househelp, but she didn’t pick up. I called several times, but there was no answer,” Ogechi said, fighting back tears.

Alarmed, she rushed home from work, frantically searching the house and compound for her son.

“When I didn’t find him anywhere, I went outside and saw the well was open. I peered inside and saw something floating. At first, I thought it was just clothes, but then I saw my son’s head and his shoes nearby. That’s when I screamed for help,” she recalled in anguish.

Ogechi said she had always treated the househelp fairly, ensuring she was paid on time and even giving her Saturdays off.

“I never mistreated her. I always gave her freedom and respect. I still cannot understand why she would do this to my child,” she said.

The boy’s father, Steve Ogechi, arrived home to find a crowd gathered around the well.

“I asked why no one had pulled him out. They told me he was already dead — that’s why he was floating,” he said, his voice filled with grief.

Dorcah Nyaboke, a village elder, called on parents to vet domestic workers thoroughly and introduce them to neighbours so the community can help keep watch and protect children.

Authorities are currently searching for the househelp, who fled the scene after the incident.