This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
Published on September 6, 2019, a court in Nanyuki heard a shocking case of a teenage girl who hid her pregnancy for five months out of fear of being killed by her stepfather.
The girl's mother testified that she noticed an unusual bulge on her daughter's tummy and, upon further inquiry, revealed that she had been defiled by her father when the mother was away at the hospital.
The mother recounted her daughter's harrowing account: 'While I was away at the hospital, my father sent the girl's younger siblings to fetch water at a nearby river, and when they left, he dragged the teen into the house and defiled her, then warned her against revealing the act to anyone or else he would kill her.'
The suspect, a father of eight, denied the allegations, claiming he was being framed by his wife and brother-in-law to take his land.
During cross-examination, the accused claimed he had no reason to defile his stepdaughter, stating that he treated her as his child and had educated all eight of his children without discrimination.
However, DNA samples were taken from the suspect and the deceased infant to determine paternity in the case.
The court heard that the teen later gave birth to a preterm baby who sadly died at the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital. She is currently undergoing counselling sessions to cope with her traumatic experience.
