Police have rescued a 17-year-old girl who had been forcefully married off by her parents to a 40-year-old man in Lamu.
Police on Sunday raided the house where the Standard 7 pupil had been staying at Ndeu village in Hindi division, Lamu West, and whisked her away.
They arrested the man shortly after following a tip from members of the public.
It is believed the parents received a tidy sum of money from the man as dowry for the girl after which they forced their daughter to go live with him as his wife.
Speaking in Lamu on Monday, county police commander Moses Murithi said an arrest warrant has been issued for the girl’s parents who went into hiding as soon as they heard of their daughter’s rescue from the forced marriage.
The county police boss asked men to resist the urge to marry schoolgirls and instead marry women if they need a wife.
“You cannot marry a schoolchild or any child for that matter. This country has a Constitution that has made it clear what treatment such people should receive. A 17-year-girl belongs to the classroom and not in a marriage. We have the man in custody and are processing him for court. Police are on the lookout for the parents who are in hiding,” Murithi said.
Education stakeholders in Lamu have concurred that child marriages and defilement are the major factors hindering the education of girls in the region.
Last week, a 39-year-old man was arrested for defiling his 14-year-old daughter.
In July this year, a 20-year-old man was arrested for marrying a 12-year-old girl in Witu, Lamu West.