Family wants man who defiled, impregnated 13-year-old daughter arrested

The family of a 13-year-old girl in Homa Bay is seeking justice after their daughter was defiled and impregnated by their village man.

The man whose age is not clear has since escaped after he impregnated the girl.

Attempts to have the police arrest the suspect have not been successful.

The minor who is in grade IV reported that the boy had defiled her twice before she became pregnant. It is reported that the boy is 22-year-old but his mother said he is 16-year-old

The girl’s mother said she did not know her daughter was pregnant until they took the girl to a community health volunteer who in turn took her to a hospital.

The girl would sleep most of the time and did not want to go to school. They thought the girl had malaria.

“The community health worker took her to a health facility where she tested positive for pregnancy. We realized she was three months pregnant,” the mother said.

Revelations about defilement came after the victim opened up and told her mother how she was defiled by the man.

She said the man first defiled her when she went to visit their grandmother. She was also defiled when she went to fetch water from a nearby river. On both occasions, the man would take her into a bush.

“Let the police help me get justice by arresting and arraigning the man who raped my daughter,” she said.

The case came to the public after the mother and the girl reported it to Central Kanyabala sub-location Assistant Chief Rose Abot who in turn reported it to the Homa Bay police station.

“We took the matter to Homa Bay police station but the girl’s mother has complained that they haven’t been assisted,” Abot said.

Police officers who went to the suspect home a few moments after the matter was reported to them did not get him.

The mother of the suspect said the man disappeared four days before police went to their home.

She said they do not know where the boy went since they have in vain looked for him from their relatives.

“I still don’t know where the boy is. Our efforts to get him back haven’t been successful,” she said.

Officers from the Homa Bay gender department led by CEC Sarah Malit, the county assembly chairman on committee gender and sports Paul Bari and children officer Joseph Otieno on Thursday visited the suspect home and asked the police to help them arrest him.

Malit said they will not relent until the suspect is arrested and punished.

She said matters of defilement are rampant in Homa Bay and the man should be punished to serve as an example to perpetrators.

“Such issues have made Homa Bay ranked second in sexual and gender-based violence in Kenya. We’re pursuing the matter to the latter,” Malit said.

The executive member asked residents not to fail from exposing such vices.

Otieno said they are working closely with the police to ensure the suspect is arrested.

“He can’t escape and it is just a matter of time before he is brought to book,” Otieno said.

Bari said the community needs sensitization on sexual gender-based violence issues.

He condemned the incident and asked for justice to be accorded to the victim.

 “We must strengthen legal frameworks to address the societal problem,” Bari said.