Kenya: MP Njeri Maina Leads Protests Against Chief Accused of Impregnanting Minor

Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Kenyans.co.ke
Published on 2024-02-24 07:28:52

Kirinyaga leaders, on Friday, February 23, took to the streets alongside Ndia Constituency residents in protest against the release of an area chief who was accused of impregnating a minor. The demonstrators, in a video that circulated online, marched towards Baricho Police Station while demanding the removal of the chief from his position.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina, speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, expressed her dissatisfaction with the situation, revealing that the chief had been apprehended three times, with the most recent arrest taking place on February 21. Maina, alongside Baragwi MCA David Mathenge and Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango, demanded justice for the victim and her family, questioning the decision to release 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.

Despite this, Maina highlighted that the accused chief had a history of similar cases that were yet to be resolved in court. In this particular case, he was accused of coercing a 13-year-old secondary school girl into terminating the pregnancy, thereby endangering her life. The girl’s family filed a missing person report at the Baricho Police Station and 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 closely monitoring the matter,” Njeri Maina added.

In a separate but related case, the Nyandarua High Court acquitted two chiefs and one assistant who were charged alongside four former GSU officers for the alleged killing of a woman during a raid on businesses selling illicit alcohol. The chiefs were reported to have accompanied the former police officers to enforce the crackdown on illicit brew in Laikipia.

Justice Charles Kariuki, in his ruling, noted that the court had established beyond a reasonable doubt that the four officers had intentions to harm the woman during the raid. IPOA, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, commended the conviction of the four ex-police officers stationed at Majiwa camp for their actions during the raid.

The incidents involving the chiefs and the former police officers have sparked outrage and calls for justice among the community and political leaders in Kirinyaga and beyond. It remains to be seen how these cases will unfold in the coming days as they continue to attract attention and scrutiny from various stakeholders.

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