Outrage as men accused of defiling minor roam freely

A Class Six pupil has been admitted to hospital in Kisii County with serious injuries after she was allegedly defiled by a four-man gang.

The incident has sparked public outrage in Ogembo Township following reports the suspects have not been arrested four days after the incident was reported.

FACIAL INJURIES

The 14-year-old girl who comes from Bomachoge Chache Constituency, sustained facial injuries during the attack.

The girl, who writhed in excruciating pain as she lay in her hospital bed told Nation: “They attacked me as I was walking home from a funeral. They did bad things on me and threatened to stab me with a knife if I raised alarm.” 

The suspects dumped the girl in a maize farm where she was found lying unconscious 12 hours later by a villager who called for help.

The girl’s parents said one of the attackers had been attempting to evict the family from their ancestral land.

 “I sold a small piece of land measuring 50x100 feet to one of the suspect’s father to raise money for to take my ailing mother to hospital, but unfortunately she died in 2002,” said the girl’s father.

LAND DISPUTE  

He said that he has been having a longstanding land dispute with one of the suspect’s father.

 “They have been trying to grab my land but I never thought they would punish me by savagely attacking my daughter,” said the father of eight.

At the hospital, the clinical officer in charge of Gender Based Violence Francis Omenyi Gwaro said the victim suffered serious soft tissue injuries.  

 “We are also treating her for other injuries, her body was swollen at the time she was brought in, her sugar levels were very low,” said Mr Gwaro.

SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED

A local administrator, who rushed the girl to hospital, said the suspects had been identified.

The chief said: “We are waiting for police to give us arrest orders so that we can go for the culprits.”

Ogembo Deputy Police boss Moses Kosgei said officers are investigating the alleged defilement but he could not say why it had taken too long to apprehend the suspects.

“I cannot talk much, the case is with our bosses,” said Mr Kosgei.

Mr Geoffrey Maendi, a community policing member blamed the police for taking too long to arrest the culprits.

 “The culprits were identified by the girl, why have the police not made any arrests up to now,” wondered Mr Maendi.

In his Twitter handle, Law Society of Kenya President, Nelson Havi said is willing to take up the matter once he receives full details of the defilement.

Mr David Obeko blamed the police for not arresting the suspects.

 “Such cases end up not going in court because folks here prefer to settle [them] traditionally. We have reports that this might happen in this particular issue,” said Mr Obeko.