KIRINYAGA Kenya July 3 -A man accused of defiling and killing a 9-year-old Grade 3 pupil before dumping her body in a river in Kirinyaga County has surrendered to the police.
John Kariuki, a jailbird, surrendered to police at Mwiki police station in Naoribi County on June 2 and was later transferred to Baricho police station where the incident occurred and reported, about 52 days ago.
On May 14 at around 5.30pm within Ngamione village, a village elder reported that the body of Angel Wangui aged 9 and who had been reported missing on May 12 had been retrieved from river Rwamuthambi with physical injuries on the forehead.
The injuries appeared to have been inflicted by a blunt object.
Postmortem on the body was conducted and it was confirmed that she had actually been defiled and strangled. The deceased who was a pupil at Kagio Catholic school was later buried on May 25.
The suspect was last seen with the deceased at the scene. The body was then transferred to Kerugoya mortuary.
“The girl was allegedly picked by the suspect, who was known to her, to buy her sweets. The incident was reported by her mother Caroline Wanjiru at Kagio police station,” Ndia Sub-County police commander Moses Koskei.
Reuben Kihara, who found the girl’s body, said it was blocked by a water pipe in the river.
In another case on June 28, a guard at Alliance Girls High School was arrested after he was accused of defiling a 16-year-old female student within the school compound.
After the matter was reported to the police, officers interrogated the student and an identification parade, involving all night guards, was conducted. The victim positively identified the guard.
Another primary school teacher was also on June 27 arrested in Teso North after he was found in a lodging with a 15-year-old student.
Police said Joseph Omusingu Omusolo, a teacher at Angurai primary school, was with the student at Angurai Bar and Restaurant.
On Monday June 26, a man accused of defiling a 13-year-old girl in Baringo was also charged Kabarnet Law Courts.
Ruto is alleged to have defiled the minor on June 18, 2023, at his home in Bartum location, Baringo North. The hearing of the case is scheduled on July 19, 2023.
According to the Economic Survey 2023, there was a decrease in both rape and defilement cases. Defilement accounted for 76.8 per cent of the number of persons reported to have committed crimes against morality followed by rape at 11.5 per cent.
Of the 827 persons who committed rape, 35 were female while another 115 of the 5530 persons involved in defilement were also female.
According to police records, there was an increase in defilement cases in March 2023.
Some of the victims were defiled by their fathers, while others by their grandfathers, raising fears that defilement in the family was drastically rising.
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