Malindi activists want police officer arrested over defilement

Gender-Based Violence activists in Kilifi County are demanding the immediate arrest of a police officer based in Marereni Magarini sub-county who allegedly defiled a minor in January this year.

The Activists claimed that all due process was followed and the case was reported to DCI, IPOA but six months down the line the suspect is still walking scot-free.

The matter was reported to police under OB number 19/6/01/2022 at 2035 hours.

Addressing journalists in Malindi, the activists said the minor aged 16 has been staying at the child rescue centre for that period and is traumatized because she has not been able to join form two.

They said she was defiled when she was in form one and the case was reportedly taken over by the Kilifi County DCI office which is yet to conclude the matter to date.

Helda Lammeck the Chairperson of Malindi GBV Network said they protested in March about the same issue and the DCIswung into action but to date, there has been no action taken against the suspect.

She called on IPOA, DCI, and all security agencies to come clean about the matter as the community is seeking answers from them.

“Our role is to do sensitization in the community but currently we are tied because whenever we go there, we are asked about the progress of the case which we do not have answers for,” she said.

She said as a GBV network they want justice to prevail for the girl and wondered why the investigation had taken six months.

Currently, she said the girl is not able to go back to school and is traumatized as other girls are going on with studies as she cannot until she testifies in court.

Lameck urged the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to intervene and help bring the matter to an end so that the court makes the decision on whether the suspect is guilty or not.

Emmanuel Omondi a GBV activist in Malindi said they are not happy because the perpetrator is walking scot-free.

He said the community is now beginning to lose trust in the police because of the incident where the same security officer who was supposed to protect them turned against a minor and defiled her.

“We came here today so as to emphasize action to be taken. We want action to be taken against the police officer,” he said.

Omondi said whenever they make follow-ups, they are told the investigation is still going on and they do not know how long it will take to be concluded.

For them, he said they want the case to be concluded so that the girl goes back from school and moves away from the rescue centre.

Afie Swaleh A GBV Activist from Malindi also wondered why the law seems to be bending on the matter.

She said had it been a common person, it would have taken a short period to be concluded and the suspect prosecuted already.

“We are getting so many questions outside people are saying because it is a police officer it has taken so long to complete the investigations,” she said.

Swaleh said they want justice to be done for the minor who now is at the rescue centre.

In an earlier telephone interview, Magarini Sub County Police Commander Daniel Kibio said the case was taken over by County DCI Kilifi for investigations to be done from outside the sub-county.