By Florence Norah
Kuria West Sub-County police officers are on the spot for illegally holding a 12 year-old defilement victim for six days to shield a colleague suspected to have committed the crime.
The victim, name is withheld, narrated the ugly ordeal she experienced when she went to seek for school fees from her father who ended up defiling her.
She said her father, a police officer who was until recently was a bodyguard to a senior politician in Migori County, committed the heinous act on November 1 this year at 9am. The man who hails from Nyamosense – Komosoko ward is currently on suspension from Kenya Police Service because of disciplinary issues.
"I had been sent home for Sh13, 890 but since my parents separated, my grandmother with whom I stay with sent me to collect fees from him," the victim narrated on Monday.
She was cleaning utensils before her father defiled her in the bedroom and later rushed to Nyabohanse Police post to report the incident where her nightmare started.
"I reported the incident to a female police officer who called my father and the area chief and tried to persuade me to forgive him," she said.
At about 2pm she was transferred to Isebania Police Station where she was placed in a cell and two hours later she was taken to Nyayo Hospital where she was tested and given some medicine.
The minor stayed at the police custody for six days, sleeping on the cold floor with adults, as police officers at the station allowed her father to constantly visit and threaten her to drop the case. When we visited her on the same evening she was arrested, the officers declined to release her saying the national flag at the station had already been lowered and we were not allowed to see her," said her grandmother.
The grandmother and her mother made several attempts to have her released during the six days she was in custody to no avail. They demanded to know why she was not getting charged or released but the officers kept on threatening and persuading them to drop the matter.
“We just need justice for our daughter, because we feel insulted when a victim is the one who was being held in the cells while the suspects walks scot free accessing the girl as we were denied any chance of
seeing her,” the grandmother said.
The victim is now staying with a guardian, only identified by one name to protect the her, where the press held the interviews,
The guardian and the grandmother claim the medical examination report, P3 form, police statements and medical reports were tampered with severally to bungle the case.
“They held the victim for six days to try and hide evidence and even police records and the occurrence book entries were incorrect,” said the guardian.
On November 5, Martin Mwongera a Senior Prosecution Counsel wrote to the OCS Isebania saying “there is no sufficient evidence compiled thus far for us to charge the suspect with the proposed offence.” Nyamosense-Komosoko MCA Susan Mohabe however wants justice for the victim and the family "whose attempt to seek any justice have been met by constant threats from police officers"
Mohabe said Kuria West police officers are yet to arrest other suspects who gang-raped a 70 years old grandmother a week ago.
Senior police officers at Isebania said they were aware of the girls case but instead referred us to Kuria West OCPD Bernard Muriuki and Migori County Commander Celestino Nyaga.
Mr. Muriuku said attempts to take the suspect to Kehancha Law Courts twice on November 5 and 19 failed after the ODPP said there was no evidence.
The police boss also he was not aware if the victim had been held at the Isebania Police Station for six days or even if the officers tampered with evidence.
“We want to duplicate all the files including evidence and statements back to ODPP for review for the minor to get justice,” Muriuki said.
Nyaga said they will carry out internal investigations over the matter and ensure the minor and the suspect are served with justice.
On Monday morning when the press was following the story, police arrested a 14 years old who allegedly defiled and killed a four years old girl.
