MOLO, Kenya, Dec 2 – A 10-year-old girl who was allegedly defiled by her neighbour in July has been sharing a police cell at the Molo police station with adults for the past one week.
Although police had denied they were holding the girl on Wednesday, Capital News has independently confirmed that the girl is still in custody.
The girl is being accused of helping the 27-year-old defiler to molest another minor, but she insists they were both raped by the man.
The alleged defiler is said to have been arrested and later freed in unclear circumstances.
The girl was arrested together with her mother on November 25 but her mother was later released soon after because she has a small baby.
The girl claims she was sexually abused by her neighbour on July 12 but the family did not pursue the matter due to lack of funds. They are among nearly half a million people who were displaced by the post-election violence.
The young girl’s mother said she was unable to follow up the matter because she could not afford the Sh500 required at the hospital to have a P3 form filled-out.
“I delivered two days after my daughter was defiled and I could not follow up the matter, My sister in-law who took her for treatment could not afford the fee required for the P3 form to be filled-out and that is why we did not pursue the matter,” she said.
The woman whose husband was killed during the post election violence told Capital News she was arrested last Thursday for failing to pursue the alleged rape but was later released because of the infant.
A police officer at the Molo police station who sought to remain anonymous told Capital News that the girl was detained and has been sharing a cell with adults because the station does not have a juvenile cell.
“The girl is being held at the station, she has been in custody but her mother was released,” the police officer said and revealed that she was being held awaiting further directions from the investigating officer.
It is alleged that she aided the man to rape another young girl by holding her hands as the man allegedly sexually abused.
It emerged that the police were no longer pursuing the girl’s complaint that she had herself been defiled.
A cleric who spoke to Capital News on Wednesday said he had visited the station and spoken to the young girl.
“I don’t understand why the police should hold a minor in custody yet she is herself a victim of rape, she ought to have been assisted to seek justice because she is a victim,” Pastor Kamau said.
When Capital News telephoned the area district police chief Achesa Litabalia on Wednesday, he denied knowledge of the matter and insisted that no such victim was being held at the station.
“I am not aware of any such case. We are not holding any minor at the station. I would want to know where you got such reports,” Mr Litabalia said.
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