Girl, 10, rescued from forced marriage

By Linah Benyawa

Police in Kwale have arrested a man for allegedly marrying a schoolgirl.

The girl, 10, from Loitoktok was in Class Four when her parents forcefully married her off to the man, 40, in Diani, Msambweni District.

A Good Samaritan, Ms Deril Nyawera, said the girl had been married as a second wife after the man paid Sh13,000 dowry to her family.

"The girl came to me crying and asked for help. She told me her father had married her off to an old man as a second wife," Nyawera told The Standard.

She took her to Diani Police Station and reported the matter to the OCS.

Apparently, her parents had also given her a four-year-old brother to take care of in her new home.

Cultural practices

When The Standard visited her in Nyawera’s home in Diani on Monday, she said she had been living with the man for three weeks.

"I didn’t want to get married. I wanted to continue with my education but my father forcefully married me off to that old man," she said.

Kwale OCPD Nelson Okioga said when they interrogated the man, he said his traditions allow him to marry as many wives as possible.

"We want the so-called cultural practices to cease being used as an excuse to mistreat girls," said Mr Okioga.

He also took issue with the parents for marrying their daughter off.

"The parents are also wrong. We will trace and take them to court," he added.

He said the man would appear in court, while the girl would be taken to hospital. "The girl alleged she was assaulted by the man," he added.

Factors such as poverty, ignorance or greedy parents force several families to marry off their daughters at an early age.

The introduction of free primary education in 2003 reduced cases of early marriages, but they are still rampant in poor districts, especially at the Coast.

However, child rights activists insist all children should be allowed to be children.

They argue parents, society and the Government have a responsibility over their children.

Children officers have rescued many girls from forced marriages and helped them return to school.

The Provincial Administration has also helped fight the vice and residents advised to raise the alarm and report such cases.