A family from Marereni village in Magarini sub-county, Kilifi county is crying for justice after a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a police officer.
The police constable stationed at the Marereni Police Station is accused of committing the crime on Friday, November 11, at around 9.30pm.
According to the victim's father, the girl was allegedly defiled as she was leaving work in the evening and was on her way home when she encountered the said officer.
The girl, who dropped out of Kambija Primary School in February due to health complications reported that the policeman, who was dressed in civilian clothing, demanded to know where she was going to at that hour before threatening to arrest her.
She pleaded with him to take her home but he instead took her to a nearby guesthouse where he defiled her.
According to Kilifi County Criminal Investigating Officer (CCIO) Noah Katumo, witnesses in this case have already recorded statements with the investigating officers.
“Once our investigations are complete, we will hand over the file to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for direction,” Katumo indicated.
The incident prompted activists from a local gender-based violence and human rights organization to take to the streets to protest against rising cases of defilement perpetrated by police officers.
This is a second case of defilement reported against a police officer stationed at the Marereni Police Station in a year.
On January 18, a DCI officer defiled a 16-year-old girl inside his car. Court proceedings in relation to the case are ongoing.
According to the CCIO, investigations into this earlier case had already been completed by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) before the file was handed to the DPP for action.
The locals are now demanding for the prosecution of the two police officers from the station accused of defiling minors in the two distinct incidents.
