Police seek man, 50, who ‘defiled, impregnated’ two underage siblings

Donning a torn school uniform, a shy girl walked to her home after afternoon classes, dragging her feet under piercing sunrays and sweltering heat.

She is just 11 and in Grade Six, but already in the family way. So is her 13-year-old sister.

The man responsible for this is allegedly their 50-year-old neighbour.

The 11-year-old girl was examined at Marigat Sub-County Hospital and found to be six months pregnant.

Needy background

The girls come from a humble background. Two dilapidated mud-walled houses, tattered clothes and utensils were strewn all over the compound, with a torn makeshift tent also acting as a shelter.

Village elders raised the alarm when they discovered that the second girl was also pregnant, a few months after her elder sister was allegedly defiled by the same suspect and became pregnant.

Influential neighbor

The information came from the girls’ elder brother. The minor implicated their neighbor as the person responsible.

Elders said the suspect is an influential rich person who holds several positions in the locality.

Among others, he is vice-chairman of the board of a local primary school, a church elder, chairman of Nyumba Kumi and a leader at an irrigation scheme.

“We went to the minor’s school to inquire from the teachers if they were actually aware of their pupil’s condition. The girl was summoned and said she had been defiled by her 50-year-old neighbour,” the elder told us. 

“We had to take action because he had earlier been accused of defiling and impregnating her elder sister and we could not take any more chances.”

They reported the case at the Marigat Police Station on August 28 under OB number 12/28/ 08/2022. The minor was examined at the hospital and found to be six months pregnant.

Went missing

When the suspect got wind of the developments, he went into hiding and is still at large.

Elders are perturbed by the man’s shameful acts. They said the girls’ parents work for the suspect as casual labourers and he “entices them with money so as to prey on the minors”.

The 13-year-old was defiled last year and has since given birth.

“We demand justice for the victims. Police should arrest him because it is absurd to impregnate a minor,” the elder said.

Another elder said the suspect was previously accused of defiling schoolgirls but there was no proof and he did not face the law.

“We received several claims that the man befriends schoolgirls, but we had no proof, until the Grade Six girl cited him as the man responsible for her pregnancy. He must be prosecuted,” the elder said.

Tracking suspect

Baringo South sub-county Police Commander David Too confirmed that the case was reported at the Marigat Police Station.

“We have also opened a file to pave the way for prosecution, but the suspect is still at large,” Mr Too said.

Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are tracking down the suspect.

Rising cases

The incident comes as civil society groups in Baringo County lament rising cases of sexual violence against children.

In some cases, the groups say, defilement cases are reported but the suspects are not prosecuted, while others are resolved in kangaroo courts.

Civil society groups coordinator Godfrey Kipsoi claimed many cases dragged on in courts after witnesses failed to appear to testify, citing intimidation and threats from perpetrators.

“We are appealing to the concerned authorities and government agencies, including the children’s department, to follow up on such cases because many children who have been sexually abused in this region do not get justice,” he said.

Collusion 

Isaiah Biwott claimed perpetrators, especially in remote villages, collude with administrators and village elders to settle such cases out of court.

Rights groups say more than 30 defilement cases have been resolved out of court in the region while others have dragged on since 2016 due to intimidation of witnesses.

The intimidation happens in villages and at police stations, with Baringo North, Baringo South and Tiaty sub-counties the most notorious.

Children's department

The county children’s department is also concerned about molestation of children, with defilement, teenage pregnancies and early marriages the main cases.

County children’s coordinator Omuse Otjom said cases of older people preying on children are on the rise.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that Marigat sub-county recorded the highest proportion of adolescents attending antenatal clinics (32.4 percent) between 2016 and 2021, contributing 28 percent of the total 1,807 adolescent pregnancies. 

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