This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
Shocking tales of how fathers defile, impregnate daughters ¶
For many years, child defilement has been a major concern in Kenya, with cases involving family members, including fathers, being reported with alarming frequency.
According to Saida Mwinyi, a nurse in-charge at the Coast General Hospital's department dealing with gender violence, fathers are among the most common perpetrators of child defilement.
She recalls a harrowing encounter with a 12-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by her biological father, who then tried to procure an abortion for her.
"When the clinician examined the girl, she realised there had been an attempt to procure an abortion. In the pretext of further examination, he sent the father out of the examination room and grilled the girl who confessed how she had been defiled," Mwinyi recounts.
Another case involved a 4-year-old girl who was brutally sodomised by her father, who later left her in the care of in-laws and returned to the Coast. The father was eventually arrested and charged, and is now serving a life sentence at Shimo La Tewa.
Topista Juma, who works with Muslim for Human Rights, has also had her share of horror in her defence of sexually brutalised children. She recalls a case involving a boy who was sexually assaulted by Bomu Assistant location chief, Mohamed Nyando, who ordered the boy to kneel down for hours in his office and then ordered him to perform oral sex if he wanted to be pardoned.
"The traumatised boy rushed home crying after the ordeal. At first, there was an attempt to cover up the crime but the ODPP intervened and after, DNA tests were conducted and the sub-chief's body fluids matched those recovered on the boy's uniform," Juma explains.
These cases highlight the need for greater awareness and action to prevent child defilement and protect victims. As Mwinyi notes, "Rape is not a crime committed by strangers. It is carried out by close family members, a victim has no reason to distrust. It is a betrayal rarely spoken out of family circles."
