Defiled, pregnant teen persecuted by perpetrator as police remain mum

Asha Hussein*,17, had gone to Mnazini Dispensary in Tana River County for medical consultation in December 2020.

She shared her medical problems related to her menstrual cycle with a medic.

After attending to her, the medic started making sexual advances towards her and suggested they have a relationship, which she refused.

"He traced our home and during a polio vaccination drive he came by and then his visits became routine," she says.

The healthcare worker would follow her everywhere she went, to the river to fetch water, to the farm, and at home when her parents were not around.

Then, with yogurt, milk and other snacks, he had his way, defiled the girl on several occasions and eventually made her pregnant.

"When I realised some changes in my body, I informed him. He asked me to meet him near the hospital, where he carried out a pregnancy test," she narrates.

The test was positive, and the medic told her not to worry, promising to handle the matter professionally.

Days turned into weeks and into months, the pregnancy grew and the parents noticed the changes at four months.

"She suddenly refused to go to school and would spend a lot of time eating raw mangoes, spitting all over, had mood swings and her skin grew tender," her mother says.

When her mother enquired about her condition, the girl lied to her, and when her parents insisted that she take a pregnancy test, she opened up.

Her parents summoned the perpetrator, who confessed his crimes and pleaded for mercy, promising to take care of the pregnancy.

However, on the side, he was pushing the girl to procure an abortion, a procedure he was prepared to fund.

As time went by, he became rude and aggressive, finally opting to blackmail the teenager.

Ms Hussein’s parents decided to report the case to the area chief, who was not helpful, and so they sought the help of the police at the Mnazini police post.

"We realised it was not going to be easy. The chief had been compromised and the police were taking us in rounds. They refused to allow us to record a statement," the girl’s mother says.

The family claims that the police started intimidating them, accusing them of extortion and threatening to arrest the parents.

They came up with flimsy excuses and even assigned the victims to track down and arrest the suspect.

"They told us we were becoming a nuisance. For three months, we chased just an OB number, only for them to ask us for the suspect's birth certificate and his ID, as though they were important to our case," the mother says.

The family sought the help of human rights activists, and on September 6, the police issued them with an OB number but refused to record the victims’ statement.

On learning that the family had reported the matter to the police, the suspect went on a long leave and through text messages, he declared the victim an enemy.

Text messages seen by Nation.Africa from the suspect read like a plot to arm-twist the family into withdrawing the case before he could help them with anything.

The suspect warns the girl of dire consequences if she does not withdraw the case from the police.

"He has called me several times. He threatens me and tells me hurtful things. He even denies he is responsible for this pregnancy and says there is nothing I can do to him," Ms Hussein says.

The teenager has missed out on registering for exams. She is traumatised and can barely walk freely in the village.

The perpetrator, on the other hand, continues to persecute and intimidate her.

On several occasions, he told the family to go to any length to have him prosecuted, boasting about connections that will challenge his arrest and prosecution.

According to Jane Simon, a gender-based violence activist, the family has no one to look up to for justice.

"They are poor, and this girl was their hope. She is bright and needs justice and support to go to school. We should not be having a perpetrator chest-thumping because he has compromised the police," she says.

Efforts to seek help from the county police commander, she says, have yielded nothing. She urges the director of criminal investigations to come to the girl's aid.

She also appeals to women leaders and other gender-based violence activists to push for justice for the teenager.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator walks free and goes about his business as usual.

Nation.Africa reached out to him but he declined to respond to the queries. Tana Delta OCPD Salim Fundi also failed to respond to inquiries about police inaction on the matter.

Ms Hussein is due to deliver next month.

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