Tharaka Nithi girls stand against defilement by dads, relatives to seek justice

Rossy (not her real name) lives with a painful reminder of the circumstances that led to the conception and birth of her son.

“Sometimes, l look at my baby, playing and feel lost. What do l do with him? What will his future be like? Why me?” These are some of the questions Rossy keeps asking herself, with no answer.

Her son, now two years and eight months old was born out of defilement by the person she trusted most - her father. 

“My father, is also the father of my child.”  Rossy recalls how one day, her father grabbed and defiled her. “He then threatened to harm me if l raise any alarm,” she recalls.

The defilement happened in 2022, when Rossy was a 15-year-old in class eight. She never reported to anyone lest her father injure, or even kill her. She suffered in silence.

At school, her class teacher noticed Rossy behaving strangely. 

“My teacher inquired if there was anything wrong with me, because l looked disturbed. Though l knew the problem, my father’s threats kept ringing in my head. I feared him discovering that l had shared the information, because l was still going back home,” she narrates.

After persuasion, she agreed to share the secret with her class teacher, who immediately reported the matter to the police.

The father was arrested, found guilty and handed a life sentence in 2022. 

Meanwhile, Rossy was taken to Kamarandi rescue center where she lived for two years before leaving to stay with her uncle, John Kithure.

“My niece did not deserve to go through this. My wife and I embraced and treat her as our own daughter. We take care of her child when attends school. We want her to achieve dream of being a teacher,” Kithure said.  

Rossy is one of the many defilement cases in Tharaka Nithi County. Data shows the highest number of early pregnancies was reported in 2022 in Igamba Ngombe area. The Ministry of Health noted that over 500 underage girls visited antenatal clinic a clear indication of huge violation of rights to young girls.

“Girls in this area are more vulnerable compared to boys and the kind of cases I deal with in this area are defilement, physical abuse and other forms of gender based violence,” explained Dennis Mutwiri, a Children Officer in Igamba Ngombe Sub County.

Mutwiri explains defilement and other forms of violence meted on girls and women are on the decline because of the awareness and empowerment of girls’ rights by the county government and organisations such as Child Fund.

He shares that current records from the health department, show only 249 girls visited antenatal clinic in 2024, indicating a 50% decrease in children pregnancy.

Another injustice happened to Peninnah (not her real name) in 2018, when she was 11 years. Her mother Lydia narrates what happened that fateful night.

“I remember the ordeal like yesterday, I had sent my daughter around 5pm to collect goats from our farm. She took longer time than usual to return home. That provoked my sixth sense that something bad could have happened to my daughter. We started the search because darkness was thickening,” she narrates.

Finally, they found her lying down, writhing in pain. Shockingly, she was defiled by a relative, who should be protecting her. It was heart-breaking.

The mother reported the matter to police station, where the case was booked in the Occurrence Book (OB), before proceeding to the hospital for examination and treatment.

“The hospital report confirmed our fears. My daughter had been raped and injured in the process. It was one of the saddest moments in our lives,” says Lydia.

The perpetrator was arrested and later jailed for 50 years in Meru prison in 2019.

Globally, an estimated 736 million women, nearly one in three-have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lives.

In the past year alone, one out of eight women and girls aged 15-49 have faced intimate partner violence. In 2022, on average, more than five women or girls were killed every hour by someone in their own family.

Kamarandi rescue center is a home to 10 girls rescued from violence meted by their close kin. 

Another case is of Ruth(not her real name) who was raised by her mother. Her father was absent for much of her early life. 

On reaching class eight, she needed a birth certificate to register for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams, her mother introduced her to her father.

Ruth had been overjoyed to meet her biological father, hopeful for the care and brighter future she had longed for. Little did Ruth know that this moment would be the start of agony.

Her father would later defile her, warning her not to disclose the incident with anyone else. He threatened to kill and hide her body in the bush.

Ruth remained tight-lipped after the first defilement incident. The second defilement came at a time she was preparing to report to school for the second term.

“My father carried me on his motorbike to the nearest town center. At first, I thought he was going to do some shopping for me. I was instead shocked when he asked me to look for a room we spend there since it was getting late. The first incident was still fresh in mind, so l declined and asked him to take me back home. It did not help,” Ruth narrates with teary eyes.

Her father angrily told her to get onto the motorbike and promised to escort her to her mother’s home the next day.

However, while on the way, he diverted into the bush and fished out a knife, threatening to kill her. He defiled her again.

After the second incident, Ruth decided not to keep quiet anymore. She disclosed to her grandmother and her auntie about the two incidents.

The shocked grandmother and her auntie reported the matter to assistant chief and that is how she ended up at the rescue center.

As she battles the psychological effects of defilement, Ruth is seeking justice. She has no idea where the father is and afraid of facing him, at home or anywhere else.

Majority of the girls at Kamarandi rescue are mentally and physically tormented.

Esther Gitonga, the center manager says they provide extensive counselling to girls who have often lost hope and self-esteem.

“We offer them shelter, restore their sense of purpose and empower them with life skills. Through the support of Child Fund and Child Rise, we are also helping to support the education of the some of the girls,” says Esther.

Speaking ahead of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, President William Ruto emphasized the need for improved gender desks in police stations. He announced plans to introduce similar services in hospitals to ensure victims receive immediate attention and care.

He added that there is need for increased awareness of the availability of safe spaces where victims can seek refuge, toll-free hotlines such as GBV 1195, child helpline 116, and the DCI anonymous reporting number 0800 722 203, and counselling services in order to provide victims with the support they need to find protection.

Ruto gave a Ksh.100m to support the fight violence meted on women and girls.

The private sector is supporting government initiatives.

ChildFund has bolstered both formal and informal child protection mechanisms in the region, to combat gender based violence through capacity building.

“Under Tukujukumike project of Child Rise organization and the office of Social Protection, we have been able to visit 60 schools of Igamba Ngombe and trained them on Children Rights. We have also created safe spaces in five police stations, where children can share their experiences," says Faith Wambua, Project Manager, Child Fund, Tharaka Nithi County.

A notable intervention has been the involvement of male champions in the fight against gender based violence.

Geofrey Gitoga, a male champion and community health promoter in Gaceraka Sub Location, shares what motivated him to advocate for ending violence were the disturbing scenes he witnessed during household visits to promote health issues.

While gathering firewood to boil cereals, he mentions that his wife had gone to the market. For him, it’s perfectly normal to help his wife with such tasks.

“When I visit these households as part of my health community work, l witness the struggles children endure due to their parents or poor guardianship. This motivated me to also want to protect these children. Whenever I learn that a child is going through a hard time under the care of their parents or guardians, l report it to the relevant authorities to ensure justice is served.” noted Gitoga.

He adds that the office of the assistant chief in the area is very supportive, always organizing barazas to create awareness within the community.

Gitonga explains, “We preach about child protection and so far in this area alone we have seen five perpetrators face the full force of the law. Three of the five are serving life sentences and two will serve a 20 year jail term. This has been a significant milestone in our fight, as we are witnessing justice being served. It also serves as a strong message to others who might want to commit such offences against the minors.”  

In Kenya, the government has developed and adopted policies and enacted laws to protect children. However, thousands are still exposed to violence and abuse, harmful practices, lack of parental care and sexual exploitation.

Children also face specific risks during and after emergencies such as floods, droughts, conflicts or epidemics. An emerging threat for children is online abuse and exploitation.

According to UNICEF, around one in two young adults in Kenya experienced violence as a child, according to the 2019 Violence Against Children Survey, that Ministry of Labour and Social Protection implemented.

The survey shows that 46% of 18 to 24-year-old women faced at least one type of violence-physical, emotional or sexual-during their childhood, as well as 52% of young men in the same age group. And, 23% is the prevalence of child marriage among girls.