An American couple from the Seattle area living in Kenya have launched a global campaign demanding the return of the three-year-old boy they have been raising from the time he was a baby after they say a government agency illegally removed him from their custody last month.
Daisy and Matt Mazzoncini last saw Kiano, whom they refer to as their 'son,' on April 5, when more than a dozen plainclothes police officers marched into their home in Nairobi in broad daylight, and walked out minutes later with the toddler in their arms.
The Mazzoncinis were made legal guardians of Kiano by the Children's Court of Kenya in 2017, but they became embroiled in a custody battle with the powerful Child Welfare Society of Kenya, which they say contested the legitimacy of their guardianship.
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Where is Kiano? Daisy and Matt Mazzoncini say a three-year-old boy in their care, Kiano (center), was forcibly removed from their home in Nairobi, Kenya, by police in April
On April 5, 13 plainclothes police officers descended on the family's home in Nairobi and removed the 3-year-old Kiano. The raid was captured on surveillance video
Last sighting: The US famly have not seen or heard from Kiano for more than a month now
Officials with the welfare agency have denied calling the authorities on the Mazzoncinis to take Kiano away last month.
Irene Mureithi, CEO of CWSK, told CNN that the toddler was now in 'safe custody' along with other children.
The Mazzoncinis are concerned for Kiano's welfare, given that he suffers from seizures and requires daily epilepsy medication.
As a newborn, Kiano was found abandoned along with his twin, who later died, and ended up in Mogra Children’s Centre in Nairibo.
Daisy Mazzoncini, who is a born-again Christian, first met the boy as a six-month-old baby weighing only 9lbs in the summer of 2016 while volunteering at the orphanage.
Kiano was diagnosed with pneumonia and a chest deformity, and soon Daisy began footing his medical bills.
Daisy Mazzoncini first met the boy as a six-month-old baby (left) weighing only 9lbs in the summer of 2016 while volunteering at an orphanage. Kiano suffers from epileptic seizures
The Mazzoncinis were made legal guardians of Kiano by the Children's Court of Kenya in 2017
A year later, Daisy and her husband became Kiano's legal guardians; Kenya has a moratorium on foreign adoptions in effect that bars non-Kenyans from adopting Kenyan children and taking them abroad, so the family settled into their life in Nairobi.
