This archive report was first published on 7 July 2020.
On July 7, 2020, police in Narok arrested five individuals for conspiring to marry off a 13-year-old girl at Total Estate, on the outskirts of Narok town.
The suspects, including a 30-year-old suitor named Hillary Langat, were apprehended after residents informed authorities of the intended marriage.
Narok Town Assistant County Commissioner Abdul Galgalo Diba stated that the girl was not a willing participant in the marriage and was being forced by her parents to marry the much older man.
According to Diba, the girl was brought to Narok town a week prior to the planned marriage, in an attempt to avoid detection by their village mates.
Speaking on the matter, Narok Chief Magistrate George Wakahiu noted that defilement cases have been on the rise in the county since the COVID-19 pandemic was reported in March 2020.
Wakahiu lamented that most of the affected children are between the ages of three and 16, and that the perpetrators are often people well known to the children.
President Uhuru Kenyatta also addressed the issue, expressing concern over the increasing cases of gender-based violence and directing the National Crime Research Center to investigate the matter.
