Lured with chicken and chips: Early marriages threaten future of girls in Kwale

In one of the remote areas of Kwale, we find Riziki (not her real name) busy sweeping their compound. A false smile hides her deep sadness.

She is traumatised and her body is weak. As she moves the broom back and forth, you can notice lost pride on her face. She has no joy.

Riziki's mother milks cows to prepare breakfast. She stops to look at her daughter with much feeling, suggesting she is also in pain.

Riziki, aged 16, is among many girls whose lives have been destroyed by sex predators in Kwale.

She was recently rescued from early marriage by Kidscare, a non-government organisation based in Lunga Lunga subcounty. She was rescued with 20 other girls in the area.

For months, she lived with her boyfriend who stole her from their home while she went out to fetch water on a Saturday evening.

The boyfriend had promised her a beautiful marriage and good life, which never happened. He lured her with chips and chicken and new clothes.

"The man said he would marry me and give me a fancy life if I ran away with him but he just wanted to use me," Riziki said.

She comes from a poor family and is the sixth of 12 children. 

She is currently in Class 7 and the only child the family banks on to unshackle them from the chains of poverty.

Riziki disappeared with her boyfriend on December 21 last year but was found by her parents on February 5, according to her father.

The culprit, 25, hid Riziki in their home for several weeks and later shifted to his grandfather's place after getting wind of a police dragnet.

Riziki said the man would threaten to abandon her if she ever refused to have sex with him.

The perpetrator is a Form 3 dropout and engages in coconut farming, mostly plucking the ripe fruits and making alcohol.

According to Riziki's father, the youth was recently reported to have slept with his sister and impregnated several girls in the village.

"His parents told me that their son is way out of control because he defiled his younger sister and made many schoolgirls pregnant," he said.

The region is notorious for incest. According to county children officer Nelly Amoite, many teen pregnancies involve close relatives.

Last year, former Matuga deputy county commissioner Alexander Mativo also raised a red flag over the habit of family members sleeping with their daughters.

Kwale still records a worrying number of teen pregnancies despite frequent campaigns by stakeholders to end the vice.

In May, the county reported a drop in the teen pregnancy cases from over 9000 to 4000 this year but authorities maintain that the fight is far from over.

County Ambassador of Menstrual Hygiene Christine Mwaka Mvurya said more needs to be done to bring the number of teen pregnancies to zero.

"Although we have recorded a drop of these cases, we still have a lot to do because the affected few are our girls and their lives matter," she said.

Mwaka spoke in an interview while marking the World Menstrual Hygiene Day at Galu Primary in Msambweni last month.

Riziki said she knew the boyfriend through family visits. They had gone to visit the culprit's sick father and that was the first she met him.

The man would afterwards give her small gifts and meet with her frequently after school and during holidays.

"I used to delay a lot when sent to the shop, fetch water or coming from school so that I can meet with him," she said.

Riziki said the boyfriend forced her to flee with him because they were not getting enough time together. Last December, she got the chance because the schools were closed.

Riziki's father said before her daughter went missing she had developed a strange habit of sleeping late and waking up early, and sometimes skipping school.

But little did he suspect the girl was planning to run away for good.

He said after getting news that his daughter was married, the boy's parents pleaded with the family to let leave the two alone.

"When I went to confront the parents they told me the children were in love and I shouldn't be bothered to search for them," Riziki's father said.

He was relieved that his daughter was alive after anxious weeks of searching.

It was after he reported back to the police and with the help of Nyumba Kumi and Kidscare that they managed to track the two.

The man was arrested and charged in a Kwale law court.

Kidscare child protection coordinator Brian Mwangoma Tsuma blames poor parental care, lack of awareness and poverty for the increasing teen pregnancy cases.

Some parents don't know what child abuse is because they are stuck in outdated culture.

In Riziki's case, for example, his dad went to the family to ask their son to return his daughter. He wasn't aware that any form of sexual relationship with minors is a crime and a violation of children's rights.

Tsuma said parents have abandoned their responsibilities, leaving the children to look after themselves.

"Parents are not providing for them, that's why the girls rush to boyfriends to get sanitary towels and new clothes to look presentable. Worse, some parents use daughters to get funds," he said.

He said schoolgirls opt to live with boyfriends because they yearn for better lives and money to cater for their basic needs.

Network for Adolescents Youth of Africa programme officer Dorcas Mwachi said most girls are either willingly or forced by parents to date rich people to sustain the family.

She said since majority of the perpetrators are close relatives or sponsors, the victims and families are normally compelled to forgive them to continue getting help.

The tradition of fearing to harm close relatives is also an obstacle to justice.

Edited by Henry Makori