A 17-year-old boy assumed parental roles of taking care of his 6 siblings after their mother was a Kiambu Court remanded their mother a fortnight ago for neglecting them.
The form 3 student at Kihara high school in Kiambaa sub-county told KNA at the Kiambu law courts that since their mother was put in custody at Kihara police station he stepped in to provide for his abandoned siblings.
He said at the time she was arrested his siblings were playing with other children in the village. “When they returned, they found him with the 6 months old baby whom I have been taking care of as I have no one who is reliable enough to help me out on the days I go to school” he said.
The other children are aged 12,9,7,7(twins)2 and 6 months old baby. The student confessed that they had really suffered for the period that the mother was in custody and that they needed her to return home so that she can take over the parental duties and allow him to resume studies.
He said they last saw their father in 2016 and had since been living with their mother in Gachie at their grandparents’ home which were some of the property their relatives want to repossess sparking a bitter dispute over ownership.
At the law courts, the children, clad in their uniforms were accompanied by the officer who is investigating the case who had escorted the children to produce them and appeal to the court to free their mother on a free bond so that she could return home to take care of her children.
Owing to the suffering of the children, the investigating officer corporal Lawrence Olwal had chauffeured them in his personal vehicle for physical appearance before court.
They were also accompanied by a Mr. Peter Gitau Mungai who said he was a cousin to the mother of the children whom they identified as Peninnah Njeri Kamau (35).
He said the mother was a firstborn in a family of 3 girls and one boy, a standard 4 pupils whom the second-born sister was using as a scapegoat to deny sharing their father’s property to the tune of 1.4 million shillings, land in Ndeiya, and a block of 10 residential houses in Gachie.
Several attempts to get in touch with the Kiambaa children officer and the County coordinator for Children services were futile as their phones were not answered until the time of going to press.
The case will be mentioned before the court on June 24th.
By Lydia Shiloya
