Nakuru, Kenya: Swift action by residents of Mona village in Molo, Nakuru County, helped police rescue a 12-year-old girl from a middle-aged man who had eloped with her.
Reports indicate that the girl, a Standard Five pupil, had dropped out of school after the man lured her with nice things.
Emotions ran high as residents cornered the man and vowed to teach him a lesson.
Molo OCPD Jacob Leskinwa said the man would be arraigned in court after investigations were complete.
“We managed to arrest the culprit following a tip off from the public. He will be arraigned in court soon and charged accordingly,” Mr Leskinwa told The Standard on Saturday. The man, a casual labourer, has allegedly been living with the girl for more than five months.
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Area Member of County Assembly (MCA) Michael Wang’ombe faulted parents for allowing such incidents to happen under their watch after it emerged that the minor’s grandmother was privy to the ‘marriage.’
The granny was accused of hatching the plot to marry off the minor.
Volunteer information
Mr Wang’ombe said some parents in the area were largely to blame for the woes children face. He accused them of failing to volunteer information to authorities whenever their children were suspected of engaging in criminal activities.
“It is unfortunate that such a thing can happen while the parents are fully aware; as leaders, we cannot allow it. We must live up to the expectations of the law – the Children’s Act is clear on children’s rights. Anybody below the age of 18 is unable to make informed decisions and so parents should guide their children,” Wang’ombe said.
Residents urged local leaders to help uplift education standards in the area to ensure more pupils enrolled in school.
“It is unfortunate that many young people have become desperate and hopeless in this area due to hardship. Leaders should come up with measures to encourage our children to pursue education beyond Standard Eight to help them secure a good future,” said John Ngumi Mwaura, a small scale farmer in the area.
