Police rescue girl from 82-year-old suitor

Police arrest the father of a 14-year-old girl suspected of trying to marry her off. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Police officers in Oloitokitok, Kajiado County, rescued a 14 -year-old girl hours before she was married off to an 82-year-old man.

The girl spent a cold night in an empty classroom before she was rescued.

The officers arrested the girl’s father suspected to have received a bride price of Sh50,000 from the 82-year-old.

According to the area assistant county commissioner, Brian Ogwari, the girl, (name withheld) dropped out of school in Standard Seven.

“We received intelligence from Loitoktok that a girl was about to get married to an 82-year-old man and immediately launched a rescue mission,” Ogwari said.

“We found a group of elders meeting on how to conduct the marriage ceremony,” he said.

The girl is now staying in a rescue centre.

Dorcas Parit, the director of Hope Beyond, that caters for girls rescued from early marriages said such cases have been on the rise since schools closed down due to the coronavirus.