Why were criminals let free?

When Maasai moran’s stormed Enkare Nairowua Girls’ School in Narok South early this month, little did they know they were breaking the law with impunity. The forceful demand for wives is illegal as the secondary school girls are considered minors and are now legally protected from forced early marriages.

The Children’s Act number 8 of 2001, cap 13 (1) says: "A child shall be entitled to protection from physical and psychological abuse, neglect and any other form of exploitation including sale, trafficking or abduction by any person."

Cap 14 of the same Act states that: "No person shall subject a child to female circumcision, early marriage or other cultural rites, customs or traditional practices that are likely to negatively affect the child’s life, health, social welfare, dignity or physical or psychological development."

Many Kenyan children enjoy the freedom and education opportunity, but many Maasai children continue to face the wrath of poverty and oppressing culture and tradition.

Ledama Olekina, the founder and president of Maasai Education Discovery says that many Maasai families cannot afford to give their children formal schooling, so to protect their daughters from lives of poverty they choose to marry them off at a young age, a practice he strongly decries.

Musau Ndunda, the Kenya National Association of Parents secretary-general strongly condemned the incident and asked the Government to reign in and arrest the criminals who were using their culture to commit crimes.

Said Ndunda: " It is really a big shame that the authorities have gone quiet about this matter when a crime was committed."

"Then how safe are our children if a group of criminals can get away with such heinous activities," he asked.

According to the school principal, Sylvia Lelei, the girls are now living in fear and the school has had to hire more guards to beef up security.

Said Lelei: "This has never happened before and we have no choice but to pass the additional security costs to the parents."

The moran’s only left two hours after intense negotiations with the elders, teachers and locals administration officials. According to Narok South DC Chimwaga Mongo, more Maasai moran’s were now engaging in criminal activities under the guise of the rite of passage.

He pointed out an incident where the morans stopped business in the towns of Ewaso Nyiro and Narok towns, where they assaulted residents and also disrupted repair works on the Narok-Masai Mara road.

During the TJRC hearings in Narok in October, the Chair of the Maasai Council of Elders John Maitai noted that the girl child is receiving education and now regarded equal to the boy.

Story by Allan Olingo