Girl,14, rescued from marriage to miraa farmer

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Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Man was arrested after local administrators got wind that he was cohabiting with 14-year-old girl.
  • Teenage girl taken to hospital for medical assessment.
  • Administration has intensified crackdown on people engaging in child abuse including early marriages, child labour and female genital mutilation.

Police in Mutuati, Igembe North, Meru County are holding a 40-year-old miraa farmer on allegation that he had married a 14-year-old girl.

The man, Mr Bernard Muthiine, was arrested after local administrators got wind that he was cohabiting with the girl, who hails from Isiolo County, for the past three weeks.

Mutuati  assistant county commissioner Robert Wang’ombe said the girl alleged that she had been lured to the home by the man’s sister, promising her a job opportunity at Mutuati.

On arrival, she said, the man who lives in Nkandoni Village, convinced her to stay with him as she awaited the job vacancy that was yet to open, adding that he had been defiling her for the past three weeks.

Medical assessment

Mr Wang’ombe said they had arrested the man. They also rescued the girl and took her for medical assessment with a view to charging the man for defilement. The results have since come out showing that the girl was defiled, though not pregnant.

He said the girl had dropped out of school before embarking on searching for casual jobs.

Mr Wang’ombe said they had intensified crackdown on people engaging in child abuse including early marriages, child labour and female genital mutilation.

He said chiefs had been instructed to liaise with village elders to monitor such cases to ensure children’s safety during the Covid-19 period when schools were closed.

“We have arrested the man and also taken the girl to hospital for medical assessment. We intend to charge him for defilement,” said the administrator.