Residents of Lamu have been given the go-ahead to chop off the genitals of anyone found defiling a child.
Lamu county commissioner Irungu Macharia said on Wednesday that any woman who chops off a rapist's genitals will not be held liable for any crime.
“The men here have lost their sanity and it's so unfortunate. We are tired of the soaring defilement cases. We are asking people to take matters in their hands and chop off the genitals of any defiler or rapist," Macharia said.
The commissioner said defilers, rapists and perpetrators of domestic violence were ruthless individuals who deserved equally ruthless treatment.
“We are telling women to do the same to men who attempt to abuse them in the same manner. Let them rest assured that we won't charge them for anything because we know its self-defence,” he said.
Speaking in Lamu town, Macharia said cases of defilement and incest were on the rise especially in Hindi division in Lamu West.
He said the situation was similar in Basuba ward and in Mpeketoni.
According to a recent report by World Vision, at least two defilement or rape cases are reported in these areas daily.
Macharia said allowing the public to punish such offenders would serve to deter any like-minded individuals.
The commissioner warned men who had been preying on their daughters especially during this Covid-19 period when the girls spend too much time at home.
He said fathers are supposed to be providers and protectors.
Such acts, he said, had caused an increase in teen pregnancies and school dropouts in areas like Hindi where cases of incest are high.
“Such fathers should be taught the hard way by having their genitals cut off so that others will think twice about sexually abusing their children,” he said.
Lamu activist Khadija Mukhsin said perpetrators of such beastly acts deserve a similar treatment.
“Victims of rape and defilement undergo lifetime psychological challenges. They didn’t bring it upon themselves but someone else did. We need to teach the society to protect children and women,” Mukhsin said.
Last year, Lamu Woman Representative Ruweida Obbo proposed chemical castration for all those convicted of child defilement and rape.
Edited by Henry Makori
