A young Kenyan girl has shocked many social media users in Kenya with an outrage-inducing video narrating the rape and torture she allegedly suffered in an incident involving a man.
The 13-year-old girl with epilepsy, who lives in Antubetwe in Meru County, told the story in tears in a 3-minute video that was covered by BaiteTV.
“We walked on tarmac before turning onto a rough road. We kept walking until I saw a village on the other side. We came to a halt next to a shamba, and he threatened that if he left me there, I would be eaten by wild animals,” she said.
“He tied one of my legs to a tree and threw me to the ground. He slept on me and stuffed my mouth with clothes when I screamed. He began assaulting and biting my back and shoulders,” she said.
“The child had gone to town when he met the suspect. He escorted her back home, and when they arrived, he took her to the bushes and raped her. After the act, he escorted and dropped her off at a location known as ‘Mafuta’,” said the victim’s mother.
“Salome, a good samaritan woman, found her and brought her home. She told me she had been taken to the bushes and tied and raped. I confirmed it and realized she’d been harmed. She stated that she was unable to identify the suspect’s face or names, but that she would recognize him if she saw him. After boiling water, I bathed her and took her to the hospital,” she said.
The suspect denied the allegations, claiming that he had been framed. He calls on the government to conduct thorough investigations in order to identify the real suspect.
“I’m also not aware of anything concerning the child. They claim I raped a child, but I swear I’ve never seen that child. All I can say is that if they want us to go to any length, we will, but I swear I don’t know anything. Her mother’s name is Kananu from Antubetwe, but I don’t know what the child’s name is,” he said.
“They stated that the child was escorted at 5:00 p.m. on the day of the incident and that the child was sold charcoal. All I ask is that, because the government knows how to conduct thorough investigations, they summon the child and ask her to describe the location where she was sold charcoal and taken,” he said.
“People have told me that the child was asked to identify a suspect and was threatened with a lethal injection that would result in her death if she did not. Kananu, her mother, was raised at our home by my mother, but I have no idea when her child was born,” he said.
“Instead of giving the KSh 100 to the child, the suspect should have given it to me. He made her get on his motorcycle and promised her they would go to the market to buy potatoes. He told her that they would be selling them at home with her mother,” said a resident of Antubwete.
“If he had given me the money, I would have bought them potatoes. The child’s mother is divorced and was neglected with her children. She has been accommodated by well-wishers. The child has epilepsy and does not attend school, and her mother is struggling to make ends meet,” she said.
The suspect was arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of raping the 13-year-old girl. According to Laare police station OCS Ezra Sambo, the man will be taken to court and charged with rape and assault.
“On May 21, we received a report of defilement. A disabled 13-year-old girl was defiled in Antubetwe-Kiongo after her mother sent her to the market. The suspect took her into the forest and raped, assaulted, and bit her,” said Ezra Sambo, OCS of Laare police station.
“We took her to the hospital after she was found and brought to us by good Samaritans. We arrested the suspect on June 3 and completed all necessary procedures, including the recording of statements. We took him to court on June 16, and the case is now awaiting a decision,” he said.
