Kirinyaga leaders on Friday, February 23, led Ndia Constituency residents in protests against the release of an area chief who was accused of impregnating a minor.
In a video shared online, the protesters marched towards Baricho Police Station while demanding the ouster of the chief.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina claimed that the chief was apprehended three times, the latest being February 21.
Maina, Baragwi MCA David Mathenge and Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango hence demanded justice for the victim and her family, questioning the release of the accused chief from police custody.
"We are displeased by how this case has unfolded and we thus proceeded to follow up and seek clarification on why the chief was released. Various activists including the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA) accompanied us," Njeri Maina stated.
Police officers at Baricho station directed Maina and Murango to the Kirinyaga West Sub-county Police Commander where they learned that the chief was released on a Ksh30,000 police bond.
Nonetheless, the MP claimed that the accused has a record of related cases which were yet to be solved in court. In this particular case, he was accused of coercing the 13-year-old secondary school girl into terminating the pregnancy hence risking her life.
The girl’s family filed a missing report at the Baricho Police Station under OB numbers 19/21/02/2024 and 17/20/02/2024. The family also accused the chief of assaulting the girl's sister.
"The chief has now been arrested again and will be produced in court on Monday for assaulting the sister of the missing minor.
"I have the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and FIDA on board. I will also be watching the matter," Njeri Maina further told Kenyans.co.ke.
In another related case, the Nyandarua High Court, on Thursday, acquitted two chiefs and one assistant, who were arraigned alongside four former GSU officers accused of killing a woman during a raid of businesses selling illicit alcohol.
The chiefs were said to have accompanied the former police to enforce the crackdown on illicit brew in Laikipia.
Justice Charles Kariuki, while delivering the ruling, noted that the court had proven beyond reasonable doubt, that the four officers had intent to harm the woman during the raid.
IPOA, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, lauded the conviction of the four ex-police officers based at Majiwa camp.
