MERU, Kenya, Oct 3 – A 22-year-old mother is due to face assault charges for allegedly battering her four-year-old daughter at their home in Isiolo.
The woman narrowly escaped death when an angry mob descended on her for the alleged assault on her daughter.
The residents of Jua Kali slums in Isiolo town arrested the woman, whom they described as an alcoholic, and frog marched her to the Isiolo Police Station.
Officers from the station took the critically injured child to the Meru District Hospital.
“The girl’s body bore deep bruises while her left arm was fractured. She will require blood transfusion,” doctors at the hospital told Capital Newsbeat.
Officers have placed the young mother under 24-hour police surveillance to ensure she takes care of the girl.
Residents narrated that the woman routinely locked her child in the house and often returned home drunk late in the night, when she would continually beat the girl.
“The child is not even allowed to play with her age-mates,” they said.
Police revealed that according to preliminary investigations, the child had undergone torture for a long period.
“Her mother could face assault charges once the girl is discharged.”
The woman has however denied the torture allegations and claimed the injuries were inflicted by her step-mother.
“She has been beating my daughter up since I could not afford to send upkeep money,” the woman told members of the media at the hospital.
It is not known when the girl will be discharged. According to a police source, the four-year-old was earlier admitted to the Isiolo District Hospital but her condition deteriorated, forcing medical personnel to refer her to Meru.
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