Residents in Mwingi Central in Kitui are appealing to the government to help a 14-year-old girl who was defiled, made pregnant and kicked out of her house.
“I feel so stressed out. There was the pain of being raped, made homeless and worse, dropping out of school," the girl said as she wept.
Neighbours alleged the mother disowned her and told the girl to leave their mud-walled house on learning she was pregnant.
The house was almost swept away by floodwaters. When the Star visited, no one was around.
Assistant chief N.M. said that in the beginning of the third term, he was informed by a teacher that a Standard 7 child was missing.
“After the report, I went to her home and learnt she had been impregnated,” he told the Star.
He said a 35-year-old man allegedly defiled the girl who recorded a statement at the police station.
Police told him to take the girl home and DNA tests would be carried out after childbirth to verify her accusations, he said.
The suspect has not been arrested or questioned.
Following an argument with her mother, the girl was forced to stay with her elderly grandmother.
The assistant chief said the suspect allegedly arranged for the girl to marry a neighbourhood boy who lives and works in Garissa.
The prospective father-in-law Garissa learnt the girl was pregnant and sent her back home.
The assistant chief said the suspect's brother tried to take the girl away but the chief caught them. The man was detained but released after three days.
“I was forced to take the girl home with me because the whole matter had turned very insecure," the assistant chief said.
He urged the government and well-wishers to help the girl, saying she wants to return to school.
“The girl has undergone a lot of mental torture and as a village we hope we get aid from any well-wishers,” a neighbour said.
The girl is very bright and would excel if she could go back to school, she said.
“Her teachers also hope the girl will return as she was one of the best pupils in her class,” the neighbour added.
The minor hopes for someone to help her take care of her baby so she can go back to class.
A worker at a human rights centre deplored the police's 'mishandling' of the case.
“The perpetrator ought to have been arrested and his brother should have faced proper channels of the law so the young girl can get justice," she said.
Vulnerable, under-age children are being taken advantage of by older men who mostly go scot-free because cases are never reported; people say nothing will happen.
The rights workers said her organisation will work with a security team and ensure the suspects are arrested and prosecuted.
(Edited by V. Graham)
