16-year-old girl detained for killing newborn

A court in Kilifi has committed a teenager to three years in a borstal for killing her baby.

Kilifi Resident Magistrate Sifuna Daniel ordered that the girl be held at Kakae Girls Borstal institution in Malindi sub-county.

The court heard that the 16-year-old girl gave birth and secretly buried the infant in a shallow grave.

The infant was later dug up by dogs and eaten.

“The minor shall be committed to the institution for three years to reflect on her actions,” said Mr Sifuna.

The girl is accused of committing the offence on September 11, 2019 at Bandari village in Ganze sub-county.

The minor, who was a Form One, dropped out of school in second term last year after she fell pregnant.

The court was told that she carried the pregnancy for nine months without her parents knowing about it.

Area assistant chief Charo Hinzano said he was informed of the incident by the girl’s neighbours and reported it to police, who arrested her.

Mr Hinzano explained that the minor was first booked at Kilifi police station, after which she was taken for medical tests at the Kilifi Referral Hospital.

She was arraigned after tests were done.

“The girl, who had been pregnant without the knowledge of her parents, gave birth and secretly took the infant to a bush, where she buried it in a shallow grave. The infant’s body was later dug out and eaten by dogs,” Hinzano testified.

The minor denied the charges when she first appeared in court on September 16, last year.

It is only later that she pleaded guilty.

In her mitigation, she said she had a stillbirth and decided to bury it without the knowledge of her parents.

She said her boyfriend declined to take responsibility of the pregnancy.

The girl’s father told the court he was not aware of his daughter’s pregnancy and that he was unable to pay her school fees since he fell sick.

Her mother, who was angered by her actions, told the court to punish her.

“I have no remorse for her. I want the court to take appropriate measures against her,” she said.