Harrowing tales from a village where children are defiled by relatives 'to cure AIDS'

Youth Rep Dorcus Anupi addresses journalists outside her Mbale office    Photo: Benjamin Sakwa

The remote Kiliboti village in Lugari Constituency, Kakamega County, has become a cesspool of incest, defilement, rape and abortion; with innocent minors, some younger than 10 years, falling victim to sex pests. The most vulnerable are children of single mothers.

Elders blame the vice, which is rampant in Lugari and Malava sub counties, on bizarre rituals and beliefs, as offenders believe that defiling minors or having sex with virgin relatives can cure Aids.