Police in Homa-Bay have appealed for relatives of a 23 year old deaf and dumb woman to visit Homa Bay police station so she can be handed back to them.
The woman identified as Maurine Achieng Abongo has been held at the station for the last two days after she was taken there by a Good Samaritan who let her in after she was found Sunday night at Lala village by villagers.
The villagers took her to the homestead of the village elder, Kennedy Ochieng Obonyo who accommodated her for the night before taking her to the police station yesterday morning.
Speaking to KNA in his office on Monday, the Homa-Bay SCPC, Sammy Koskei said that since police were unable to communicate with her due to her sorry condition, they sought assistance from the local National Council for Persons Living with Disability’s office.
“The station has no rescue center where we can accommodate her and she can also not be kept in the cells as she is not a suspect of any crime,” Koskei noted.
A sign language interpreter, Antonine Atieno said they could not communicate with her as she could neither write nor communicate in sign language and therefore they accompanied her back to the police station.
Atieno confirmed that the young woman had with her medical documents that identified her as Maurine Achieng Abongo. The documents also indicated she had been attended to at Madiany Sub-Count Hospital.
Atieno urged parents with children living with disabilities to at least take their children to school so that they can learn how to communicate instead of hiding them at home.
By Anjeline Adisa
