This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
A 12-year-old girl from Narok South has been rescued by authorities after being married off to two men in a span of one month.
The girl, who wishes to remain anonymous, was forced into marriage by her father, who wanted to marry her off to an elderly man to secure dowry.
According to the girl, her father had previously married off her two elder sisters, and she was the only one remaining. When schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her father planned to marry her off to the elderly man.
The girl's plea to be allowed to complete her education fell on deaf ears, with her father reportedly telling her, 'Girls are born so that people can eat. All I want is to get my dowry.'
She fled to a relative's house, but her father caught up with her before forcefully taking her to the old man. The man had promised to give four cows as dowry, but the handover was shelved due to the local administration's monitoring.
The girl tried to resist, but she was beaten by her male cousins, who accused her of dishonoring the family.
She eventually escaped from the first marriage after two weeks and eloped with a 35-year-old man, who was married. However, she was later rescued by authorities after her second marriage was discovered.
Area Chief Rimoine Maiyone and Narok Peace Ambassador Joshua Kaputa got wind of the girl's predicament and acted fast, trailing her for three days before rescuing her.
The chief said police were looking for the girl's father and the two 'husbands' who have since gone into hiding.
The administrator also revealed that at least 26 girls had been married off after being impregnated in the last three months, and they were looking for two other pupils who had been married off.
Narok is one of the counties leading in the number of teenage pregnancy cases, according to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS).
