Murang'a police rescue pregnant 15-year-old from marriage

A Form Two girl (in pink) who was rescued from marriage to a 30-year-old man in Tharaka-Nithi County, in June last year. 

Photo credit: Alex Njeru | Nation Media Group

Police in Murang’a have rescued a 15-year-old girl who has been living as a wife to a 19-year-old boy in an effort to enforce the 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school.

The girl was taken to Makuyu Hospital for medical check-up where she tested positive for pregnancy.

Murang’a South police boss Alexander Shikondi told nation.africa his officers were tipped that the girl had disappeared from her parents’ home in Wempa. Efforts to trace the student at Mananja Secondary School in Machakos County, to report back to school, were unsuccessful.

Locked up

“With our ground surveillance intelligence, we were able to trace the girl to the boy’s house; the two had locked themselves in and we had to break in to rescue her,” he said.

Mr Shikondi said the boy is being held at Kenol Police Station waiting to be arraigned in court where he will be charged with defilement.

The officer asked area residents to continue cooperating with security agents in fishing out any child who is married, employed or in any other situation that is keeping him/her from school.

 “This is one time that we are supposed to unite for our children. Let us have them in school to solidify their chances of a better tomorrow. Literacy is the best heritage we can bequeath our children,” he said.