The office of Director of Public Prosecution in Narok County has lamented over the increasing cases of defilement in the county.
The County Senior Counsel (CSC), Zacharia Omwega said at least one case of defilement is reported on a daily basis making defilement cases the most handled by Narok Courts.
“About 80 percent of cases we handle in the county are child related. From where I sit, I feel the society has not been properly sensitized to understand the consequences and sentences meted out for such crimes,” said Omwega.
The CSC who spoke from his office in Narok County on Monday asked all children stakeholders to work together in protecting the children and fighting for their rights.
“We should involve all including opinion leaders, politicians, government departments and parents to get to the bottom of this matter in a bid to protect our children,” said Omwega.
He lamented that some of the cases are not properly prosecuted due to lack of evidence as the community in many cases is not willing to volunteer information to the investigating officers.
Omwega asked the government to build more courts at the grassroots to facilitate the process of prosecuting culprits of defilement.
“Narok County is too vast and the witnesses have to travel all the way to give their evidence in court. Sometime their cases may not be heard because of the bulkiness of cases in court hence they are sent home to come on a different date. This makes them fatigued hence start compromising,” said Omwega.
He asked parents to take up their parental role of protecting their children by watching over their activities.
“Let us be a responsible society by watching over our children. Every child has a right to be protected and educated regardless of the background,” he said.
The area Children Officer, Pilot Khaemba confirmed that rampant cases of defilement were still being reported to his office and most culprits go unpunished because of witnesses’ failure to testify in court.
Elsewhere, Police in Nyahururu town have arrested a woman who was captured on a CCTV camera defiling a 2 year old boy at their home in Karuga area, Laikipia County.
Betty Chepkoech, 23 had been left with the boy on Friday last week when she committed the offence.
“The woman was captured by the CCTV cameras exciting the minor’s private parts by tickling with her fingers before defiling the child that had been left under her care,” said the Nyahururu Sub-County Police Commander (SCPC), Geoffrey Mayek.
The police boss said that the minor’s parent reported the matter to the police after seeing the CCTV footage.
“A report was made and officers viewed the footage and arrested the aggressor.
“The baby boy was taken for medical checkup with the assailant subjected to full medical process,” added Mayek.
He noted that police will press defilement charges against the suspect.
Meanwhile, some two people suspected to have been terrorizing residents of Nyahururu town have been arrested and pistol stolen from a police officer three months ago recovered.
David Kireithi Mwangi and Harrisson Kihara Njiraini were arrested at Kasuku trading centre by DCI detectives who were acting on a tip-off from members of the public.
“Yesterday night we made a breakthrough whereby we were able to recover a ceska pistol that had previously been stolen from a police officer’s residence. The firearm has been on several incidents used in town to terrorize and rob residents,” noted Mayek
The police commander noted that they were able to recover a mobile phone that had been stolen when the criminals attacked a bar in Nyahururu town on Saturday last week.
“The criminals had attacked a bar armed with the gun where they robbed a resident of a mobile phone and Sh.350.
“The two suspects will be arraigned in court to faces charges over a series of robberies,” added the police boss.
By Ann Salaton/Jesse Mwitwa
