DNA results of a Kitwe baby boy allegedly swapped for a girl have confirmed that Annah Mwanza, who raised the complaint, is the biological mother of the baby girl.
This is in a running disputed maternity case where a Kitwe couple, Annah and Geston Mwanza claimed that their baby boy was swapped for a girl at Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH) in October, this year.
Ms Mwanza of Buchi Township had maintained that she delivered a baby boy at Buchi Health Centre before she was moved to KCH due to power failure and that she later discovered that she was given a baby girl.
The matter raised controversy and public attention, prompting KCH to take samples to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka and later to South Africa for tests.
The DNA tests were carried out by the National Health Laboratory Service of South Africa and released in Kitwe yesterday.
Police officers yesterday announced the DNA results to the couple and in the presence of KCH management officials which indicated that the baby girl actually belonged to the couple.
Riverside Police Station criminal investigations officer (CID), Ephraim Kosamu said the combined maternity index, calculated from the data obtained on all the systems was 2152.8882 and that this meant that Ms Mwanza was approximately 2153 times more likely to be the biological mother of the baby, than a woman chosen at random.
“Using the Bayesian method of calculating probabilities and accepting a prior probability of 0.5, the probability that Annah Mweshi Mwanza is the biological mother of Ronica Mwanza, is 99.9536 per cent,” the DNA interpretation results indicated.
Zambia National Blood Transfusion Service (ZNBTS) Director, Joseph Mulenga also confirmed the DNA results, which were expected to rest the maternity dispute.
And speaking on behalf of the couple, Newstead Mwanza expressed happiness that the results had put the case to rest.
Mr Mwanza, who is Geston’s uncle, commended medical personnel for the speedy release of the DNA results.
“We cannot show how happy we are with the results. A lot of questions have been answered and we have to sit down to find out the error and rectify it,” he said.
KCH Senior Medical Superintendent, John Mwewa thanked the police for handling the case in a transparent manner.
The couple and KCH senior staff later held a closed door meeting.
This was the second case of suspected baby swapping reported after the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka recorded a similar incident.
I’m a bit sceptical about this ordeal. The midwife at Buchi Clinic confirmed having delivered a baby boy for that woman and that she even showed her and wrote on the birth record that it was a boy! Are we saying this was untrue?
There was no enough light in the delivery room and the baby was born with a condition of having a very big clitoris which was mistaken to be the penis by both the nurse and the mother at that time. the family could believe this xplanation which was given until a DNA test was done.
Parrot, kekekeke!!! ua mad
She mistook the large clitoris for a penis.
Wake up call to government to invest more money in health infrastructure and equipment. It is such a national shame that all the major hospitals in Zambia do not have DNA testing kits. Even the PCR test for HIV is only done at UTH what about other major hospitals?
Double correct
DNA Tests and PCR are also done at Ndola Central Hospital’s TDRC, though the costs are prohibitively high because of expensive sources of reagents, overseas. I think the rich and health research projects afford the services.
Why should I comment if you’ve stated my point! Your are right my Mulondwe!!!! This will be very helpful in the cases of Crime investigations.
But who told Mrs Mwanza that she had delivered a baby boy? There is something fishy here.
Doe this mean nobody signed a birth certificate at Buchi clinic where the baby was born? Zambia, Zambia, Zambia We can do better than this.Indeed its a wake call to government and all Zambians especially those married and expecting.
In countries like America when your wife is having a baby, as a husband you have to be present in labor room and Doctors tell you to cut umbilical cord that way you even see if your wife had a baby girl or a boy, unlike kumwensu ku Zed as a husband bakusha pa reception or mu waiting room waiting for a breaking news nervously .
True and really a sad and embrassing situation in Zambia. I guess its because nurses slap these women to get on with it. I am more free in a foreign land than in my own country. Wow.
Author , you know “Bayesian method of calculating probabilities” .That’s good
too much pollutants in these mining towns
THERE WAS A POOR FAILURE (PF), THATS HOW THE MIX-UP CAME UP. I HEAR LOAD SHEDDING IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY IN ZAMBIA. YET WHEN I LEFT, ZAMBIA WAS A NET EXPORTER OF POWER.
Its quite hrd to understand this entire issue. Lets wait for Mushota to share some wisdom once she wakes up. Its only 6am in Scotland; she must be busy breeding na ba mulamu ba Nick.
#1 I totally agree…..she was shown a baby boy before changing hospitals which led to changes of wrong baby given and DNA approves hell no we need an independent person to redo the test
I like to look forward to when a similar thing happens again. I would suggest we critically examine those circumstances under which this ordeal played out and clear anything that would cause a similar recurrence… We keep having repeat performances because we continue to bicker, witchhunt and sulk without improving upon our mistakes and problems… LETS MOVE FORWARD!
Nurses are to blame>. Nowadays you find that they are busy looking at their ugly faces on mirrors instead of concentrating on their job which takes just 20 minutes to finalise all formalities during child birth. Im a mother it never took me 10 min to deliver and I was alone on the bed with the nurse to show me the baby so where are these problems coming inn?? I cant just believer!!
This is really good news but I still have a question in my mind. We were told that the baby was shown to the mother by the nurse in-charge at Buchi Clinic who confirmed that the baby was a boy.If this is true then I stand to question DNA results and suggest an independent organisations like NGOCC,Women4Change etc to observe the transparency of the result. Again if this was NOT confirmed at Buchi clinic then The Mwanzas should go ahead and look after that (girl) child. Everything happens for a reason…..That child can be the first female president for Zambia. Stay blessed Zambia….
Good to know.Mwanza nabakashi bobe nomba musunge bwino umwana uyo since it is now confirmed ati wenu.
What about ante natal scans? I knew my childrens sex long before they were born. This helped us to but the right clothes and find suitable names in advance.Govt, NGOs and police would not like to see a child growing in adoption homes or orphanages, so they will hook the child to the nearest available couple even when results do not show they are the real parents.
Its actually very important to do a scan and confirm the sex/gender of the child b4 it is born, if we all do that then thez complications and misunderstandings may be avoided. However, wen the hospital makes a mistake there is no way they can admit it coz they know the consequences. They know they cant bring back the rightful baby so to cut the story all DNAs will be faked. Too bad the world will never be fair….
why didnt they do a scan beforehand to be in the know about the sex of the babe? saving face for KCH
ba nurse naimwe muleposako amano sana with your jobs to avoid such misconceptions! the couple were psychologically affected by this sad development. Please do as you swear during your graduations, eh! ninshi kanshi?
The thing is,the husband to that woman wanted a baby boy so much that he threatened to end their marriage or to marry another woman,in desperation the woman claimed to have delivered a baby boy to settle the matters observe the words from the family representative,crook.
interesting! so the Nigerian syndrome of cherishing MALE CHILD is slowly creeping into Zambia?
I want to have a Son this time next year, I have made it clear to Nick
I am 27 and getting on now
Thanks
So some of these children we have are not truly ours.Especially if you have a beautiful wife.
Does the baby belong to the Father, or he didnt submit his DNA samples as well. How come the simillarity is only referring to the mother? We are now more interested in confirming paternity now.
I would actually suggest a national DNA paternity census 2013 to determine whether male parents are actually looking after their own children!!!!
And if it turns out that you yourself the person you call dad is not your dad, what will you do?
this is a gud one,alot of men are keeping things (babies) which are not therez.lets wake up guyz,DNA -partenity is important
I will engange a private midwife and deliver from home, its too much of these hospitals intimidating people when ever they make a mistake the case will turn to be in thier favour to just keep thier jobs God will punish these culprits.
Just how much is the DNA kit?
I just don’t understand why up to now we can’t invest in that equipment or whatever it’s called
Not expensive at all ~$300k – $500k!
Ba Mushoba,
No one is interested in your sexual life.As the Zambian saying goes ,’what goes on in the bed room must remain in the bedroom.’Continue to glorify Nic even when you dont know what his family thinks about you.Next time we will not be told when he decided to give you matching orders from his home.
I don’t think that will happen, we love each other. What God makes no man can break
Thanks
#26 its silly for you to claim no one is interested in Mushota’s life. Many of us are inspired by her achivements. and she is not “mushoba” damn it!!!!! she is Mushota.
@mushota nick’s pipi is too short to make a baby boy whilst your pusy is just too larg. biologicaly, such a scenario can on produce a sermy normal girl child. sorry
smh.
If the parents were wealthy, they could have sought the DNA test independent of a government institution that has interest in the case.
However, trust is what the parents must now have, and learn very quickly to love the child they denied to be their’s.
The Kitwe Central Hospital should start tagging patients including newly born babies like they do in the west. This stops the practice of giving wrong drugs to wrong patients and in this case baby swapping. Problem is tikali muchonde!
You very right my friend.Two weeks ago my 10 months twins were in kitwe hospital.one of them had malaria and the other one was only there because of the mother and he was not sick.A very hash and arrogate nurse mistakenly started treating the one who was not sick and when my wife intervened she started shouting and insulting my wife claiming that that was the baby the doctor advised her to treat.When I was called and went their I just removed the drip and cannula from my baby and left for the mine hospital. shame kitwe management hospital we know how you work.
#26 its silly for you to claim no one is interested in Mushota’s life. Many of us are inspired by her achivements. and she is not “mushoba” damn it!!!!! she is Mushota.
Partners should also be allowed to witness births. This will stop this crap.
#31 Yes husbands need to be there to inspect the baby, from hair to toes nails.
In fact that is the only way out.
Is that baby girl HANDCAPPED?
Its allowed, they are just too scared. Afew who attempted to witnesss their child’s birth ran away halfway through delivery.
Hi people, my wife is expecting. I think I will ask the midwife to decide the sex of the child.
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It seems there was pressure to have a son. Can someone investigate this. I am worried the mother will not bond well with the daughter. Imagine what she’ll think of the mother when she learns of her story?
I was there when both my kids where born. I offer transport, accomodation and hospital fees to have the results done in SA in the presence of the couple. Pls if u know them contact me([email protected]).
They are just protecting their jobs. I will never buy it. They will be awarded for their actions.
So the entire country has no DNA testing facilities. The whole Zambia in this day and age. It would be interesting to know whatelse we do not have as a country. I wonder what percentage of the population have been raised by the wrong dad. Limbi bamubepeshefye umufyashi but since there is no means of confirming if the child was really his you just go along. Limbi waikatile balekwafwa. Ngabakusonta nifyofine. What a shame my beloved motherland. Tumonekafye kwati twalichenje kanshi nalya!!
that is good. now my question is why has it taken many weeks for the late Ruth Mbandu DNA results to be published when it has just taken a few days for this case at KCH?
Where is the delay mwa bantu?
Thank you, I have just been searching for info about this subject for a long time and yours is the best I have found out till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the supply?|What i do not understood is actually how you are no longer actually a lot more smartly-preferred than you may be right now. You’re so intelligent.