Naivasha woman accused of torturing boy blames evil spirits

Sakina Mohammed a children officer from Gilgil attends to a five year old boy who was tortured and denied food by his step mother in Gilgil town before he was rescued by well wishers. The woman Susan Naomi Indekwa was arraigned in charged with torture and denying the minor food. Photo By Antony Gitonga

A 26-year-old woman charged with torturing her step-son stunned a Naivasha court when she blamed it on evil spirits.

Everyone in court was shocked when the five-year-old boy's back was bared to reveal injuries said to have been inflicted by a knife and a hot object.

Susan Naomi Indekwa is said to have been torturing the boy over the last two years. The boy's father, a Kenya Defence Forces soldier, is currently in Somalia.

Ms Indekwa, a housewife, is charged with torture and denying the minor food.

The charge sheet showed Indekwa was charged with subjecting the boy to torture and denying him food in Gilgil on diverse dates between September 7 and October 7.

Naivasha Principal Magistrate Esther Kimilu was horrified to hear that the woman used a knife to "discipline" the minor.

The boy, whose face is also covered in wounds, told the court that in one instance, the woman beat him up after his younger sister fell while playing.

In his testimony, the minor said the suspect had also used a knife to cut his hands on one occasion.

In her defence, the accused denied torturing the boy and instead blamed evil spirits for a crisis she was experiencing at home. She told the court that she often heard unusual sounds at night.

She said the victim got some of the wounds while playing at home.

But the magistrate noted that the minor was deeply traumatised and that some of the wounds needed surgery.

Ms Kimilu wondered why the woman had not taken the child to hospital.

The court released the accused on a Sh100,000 bond and a surety of a similar amount, and directed the minor kept in a safe house in Gilgil until October 17, when the case will be mentioned.