Form 3 student arrested for defiling Grade 3 pupil

Police in Naivasha have arrested a Form Three student for allegedly defiling a Grade Three pupil.
Sub-county police Commander Samuel Waweru said the teenager was positively identified by the victim during a parade.

He said the student would be taken first for an age assessment before being arraigned.

“We have the suspect in custody and he will appear in court in due course,” said Mr Waweru.

He spoke as area Deputy County Commissioner Kisilu Mutua called on chiefs and their assistant to be vigilant over rising cases of defilement in the far-flung Kipkonyo village.

Police records indicate that at least three cases were being reported a week, all in the same village.

“It is something that we are not going to condone…,” warned the administrator.

Mr Mutua also cautioned parents and guardians over cases of early pregnancies and marriages, saying those tolerating such acts would be dealt with.

To tackle such cases, a local primary teacher has been at the forefront fighting social vices, at times receiving threats from the perpetrators.

Stella Kanja’s lone-ranger efforts of rescuing young girls from early marriages has earned her friends and foes alike, but she remains unyielding in her mission to end the practice.

Despite the shortcomings, her solo efforts have begun to bear fruit, with some of the girls alerting her before they are married off.

“The vice is deeply rooted in the conservative society and ending the cultural practices has been a tall order,” admitted Ms Kanja. 

The teacher, who was posted to the area in 2019, endured culture shock after reporting to her school.

“I was brought into a place where the locals do not frown upon early marriages or early pregnancies,” said the teacher.

She acknowledged that the cultural practices were derailing the young girls' efforts to attain formal education despite their huge potential. 

Such cases, she said, continued to increase especially when learners spent several months at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is a huge problem which needs concerted efforts from all the stakeholders, especially from members of the county administration,” she said. 

She has partnered with volunteer community worker John Kamau Kinuthia to educate the community on the importance of ending the archaic practices.

“We are encountering much resistance from a community that is not ready to abandon the cultural rites but we are unrelenting,” Ms Kanja said.

The two are now set out on a mission to rescue girls from early marriages and talk them out of it.

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