By IP TEAM.
A middle aged woman from Muslim estate in Bungoma is calling on acting Inspector of Police Gilbert Masengeli to investigate the conduct of Bungoma police officers who have failed to arrest a person who impregnated her teenage girl .
MS Sylivier Mulama claimed that the 16 year old girl was a student at St Paul’s Miluki girls secondary school in Bumula constituency of Bungoma County when she was impregnated by a Bungoma based civil society leader Nyukuri Barasa(pictured above) who is allegedly at large because of strong connections with the police and the political elite.
The human rights and civil society leader has allegedly been on the run from 2021 and the woman claims police officers based at the Bungoma DCI office have aided the alleged culprit to evade arrest.
Teenage pregnancies in Bungoma county are at an alarming rate and out of the 13,458 teenagers aged 15-19 years old who became pregnant in 2021 in Bungoma county, 16 year old Hope Nalisi Nyukuri was amongst them.
Her mother claimed that many teenage mothers in the county were suffering in silence because most Gender based violence is perpetuated by prominent people who use their influence and affluence to evade justice at the police stations.
“Police collaborate with the offenders and help the offenders by not recording statements or threatening the victims that their case is weak after colluding with the offenders.I am a victim of these wicked schemes,” she said.
She claimed that for a period of 3 years her daughter has suffered in silence and denied justice from the police because the culprit is shielded by the law enforcers and is also connected to corridors of power.
“He is a consultant for organisations like SAVE THE CHILDREN KENYA and BUNGOMA CHILD RIGHTS NETWORK and a host of other organisations that protect him while doing atrocities against the poor,” said MS Mulama.
She called on the acting IG,Gilbert Masengeli who hails from the region to fight the rot at Bungoma DCI department and help her get justice for her daughter who has dropped out of school and cannot take care of the 3 year old child sired by the influential human rights activist.
Ms Mulama claims her daughter varnished from school in October 2020 and couldn’t be traced by anyone until 2021 when she received a phone call from a pastor who had located her at Sikata estate on the outskirts of Bungoma town.
” I was called by a Full gospel church pastor on December 12 2021 that my daughter was living in horrible conditions with a toddler at Sikata estate after he ran away from her that’s when I went for her,” she claimed.
She said that she reported the matter at Bungoma police station OB NO. 68/15/02/2021 but the culprit has never been apprehended by the police up to now.
“He went ahead to boast that he was connected to the current Bungoma based top politicians and the police that’s why I call on our son Masengeli to help me and other people who cannot get the media platform,”she said.
” The police have neither summoned him nor arrested him for 3 years but instead directed us to seek help from the children’s department .He was summoned by the children’s department but has ignored all the 3 letters from the department because he boasts of strong police connections,”she added.
“The police even went ahead and made arguments that the 16 year old girl had sex with the offender with consent and the matter would even be dismissed in court even after showing them the letters from her school,”
MS Mulama has called on the acting IG Masengeli to intervene and help her get Justice.
” He impregnated my daughter, infected her with a dreaded disease and instructed a clinical officer at Nalondo dispensary to give her Anti retroviral medicines as drugs to contain allergies, ” she claimed.
The middle aged woman said she harbours no I’ll feelings against Nyukuri but wants him to take responsibility of the child as the father and carter for the basic needs and medication of the girl who has been out of school for 3 years.
Nyukuri Barasa is the director of Torch Africa organization operating in Bungoma with offices at Bungoma Catholic Jesus is king cathedral premises. He works as governance and human rights consultants but ironically is allegedly accused of abusing what he has defended for more than a decade.
” He has been calling my daughter and threatening her with dire consequences if she doesn’t release the child he earlier on rejected.He has infected the girl and should take responsibility of his family in broad day light instead of resorting to threats and intimidation tactics,”she added.
According to a letter in the custody of the IP written by MS Olwande,the principal of St Paul’s Miluki girls secondary school dated April 7 2021,the girl didn’t report back to school after the covid break in October 2020.
” After realising that she was pregnant he took the girl,opened up an MPESA business for her at Sikata where they stayed together in secrecy,”said MS Mulama.
MS Mulama said that the human rights activist convinced the girl to stay with him and promised to take her back to school after the delivery of the baby .
According to the birth notification in IP custody the newborn is registered as Integrity Marina Nyukuri .
“He even used his identity card as the father and husband to register the new born baby because my daughter didn’t have an identity card,” she added.
Bungoma Deputy Governor Jenepher Mbatiany, acknowledged at the beginning of the year that teenage pregnancy was a major problem in the county that should be addressed by all stakeholders
“The county reported 7,270 teenage pregnancy cases between January and July 2023, with 196 cases involving teenagers between the ages of 10-14 years. This is data of those who visited health facilities and were documented; that means the number might be much higher, thinking of those in villages and some suffering in silence who are yet to come out. The numbers for 2022 and 2021 are equally alarming, signalling a red flag for the county,”she claimed.
Joab Butalia of Poor Bright and Orphans NGO said that police have been part of the syndicate to cover up gender based violence and teenage pregnancies in the county.
” They have been secretly participating in kangaroo courts and getting kickbacks from offenders to deny justice to the offended people,”
He said the DCI officers have worked with criminals in the past to stifle justice after getting bribes .
“The IG should investigate the DCI department and transfer officers who have stayed in the same station for more than 3 years,” Butalia said.
Nyukuri Barasa could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off.
Ends.
