Deputy President William Ruto on Wednesday vowed to personally fire a police officer who failed to deal with a defilement case that was reported in Kilifi earlier in December.
Speaking during a fundraising exercise and issuance of 800 title deeds at Mapimo grounds Gongoni in Magarini, a tough-talking DP stated that officers who engaged in corruption when dealing with defilement cases would be dismissed.
“It’s an abuse of office and totally unacceptable. I would like to know the officer who failed to take action in a defilement case, I will take action and sack him tomorrow.
He added that such activities by law enforcers were a contributing factor to a surge of teen pregnancies in the county.
"Any officer who will get information of defilement and fail to take action should get prepared to go home, whether it’s an assistant chief or police if you cannot protect the minors you have no business in the office,’’ he stated.
Earlier in November, DP Ruto advocated for action to be taken against all those people who impregnate school going children.
“Wasichana wengi wa primary school na secondary school bado wanawekwa mimba na watu sijui ni wazimu, (Our girls in primary and secondary schools are being impregnated by people likely to be mad)” he stated.
Ruto also urged school heads, teachers, parents and the government to work together in order to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and forced marriages that lead to early pregnancies terming them as “outdated practices that deny girls education.”
Cases of teenage pregnancy have surged in the country especially that of KCSE and KCPE candidates.
According to reports, at least 449 missed to sit for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) due to early pregnancies or forced marriages.
In secondary school, a week after the examinations began, at least 150 cases of pregnant candidates have been reported with most affected counties being Kitui and Bomet.
