Defiled orphan's cry for justice

A seven-year-old orphan from Baringo North told Dann Okoth of her ordeal in the hands of a rapist. Her guardians were present at the interview.

I was walking home from school one evening when a middle-aged man known to me approached me and asked if I could accompany him to his home. He promised to give me snacks.

I never suspected anything, so I followed him. It was late in the evening, but on our way he kept branching in the villages to take the local brew.

By the time we got to his home, it was dark — I think it was very late in the night. I kept pleading with him to let me go home, but he would not release me and he did not give me the snacks he promised either.

Scream for help

Then he grabbed me and threw me down on his bed and began to defile me. I screamed at the top of my voice, but no one heard me.

I must have passed out. When I woke up I started crying because I was in a lot of pain. Early in the morning, an old man who walked into the hut found me, but I could not stand up or walk.

The man said he heard screams from the hut last night and came to find out what was wrong. He was concerned about my condition and summoned the villagers. But it was too late because my defiler had fled.

I was taken to the local dispensary. After four days I started smelling and oozing puss from my private parts.

I was taken to Eldama Ravine for treatment. It is here that they told me I had contracted a venereal disease — I did not know what that meant.

The man was later arrested, but released after four days. We went to the local chief to record a statement and later went to Eldama Ravine where we were issued with a P3 form. But the case has dragged on since then because the police in Baringo allegedly destroyed all the records. The man is now walking freely in the village.

Intimidation

He is said to be the relative of a local politician. At one point, the politician tried to bribe my guardians to drop the case. But when this failed he has continued to use threats and intimidation against my family.

Apart from the physical injuries I suffered, I am psychologically traumatised following the ordeal.

I do not attend school because I cannot concentrate, which is a big concern for me and my family, and I hope one day justice will prevail and the man will be made to pay for what he did to me."