This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
On Monday, July 15, 2019, a disturbing incident occurred in Muringene village, Meru County, where a 7-year-old boy was brutally attacked by his uncle.
The boy, a Class Two pupil at Thuuru Primary School, had gone to his uncle's compound to ask for a bag to carry food for his grandfather. However, the uncle, identified as John Muritithi, allegedly grabbed the boy and locked him inside his house.
According to eyewitnesses, the uncle then bit off part of the boy's left ear, tearing off the helix, and inflicted a hole in the right one before the neighbours intervened and rescued the boy.
After being rescued, the boy ran back to school, bleeding from both ears, and reported the incident to his teachers. The school deputy headteacher, Mr. David Kithinji, reported the matter to the police and took the boy to Kangeta sub-county hospital for treatment.
The boy's father, Mr. Isaya M'Buri, claimed that his brother assaulted his child because of a dispute over land. He demanded justice for his son, saying, "The grandfather had sent him (boy) to get him food when he asked the uncle for a bag to carry the food. My son is in deep pain due to the cruel manner in which he was treated yet he had no dispute with my brother."
The suspect, John Muritithi, is currently being held by the police and will be arraigned once the boy's father records a statement, according to Muringene chief, Mr. Ezekiel Rwito.
