Nine-year-old girl rescued in Kuresoi North after parents assault, lock her up, for two days

Josephine* a nine-year-old girl from Kuresoi North is nursing serious injuries after she was brutally allegedly assaulted by her parents. 

The reason for this beating was because she got home late from church on August 17.

According to Peter Ng’etich, the area mzee wa mtaa, it was a neighbor who came to the rescue of the nine-year-old girl after she had been locked in the house in isolation for 48 hours.

“Yesterday as I was speaking to the girl, she looked frightened and traumatized. She narrated to me how at around 6 pm she came from church and her mother started beating her because of a number of reasons,” Ng’etich says.

Josephine’s mistake was that she was late, and the dishes had not been washed, alongside not having done other house chores.

In her painful account, her mother gave her a beating when she arrived and later in the night, the father came and they both beat her up again, using sticks.

Ng’etich adds that the girl was tied down with a nylon rope and beaten, resulting to multiple injuries all over her body.

After the August 17 beating, the parents locked the child in the house for the whole day on Monday (August 18) as they went to their respective jobs. On Tuesday (August 19) the girl started screaming out for help.

“It was a neighbor who was passing by and heard her screaming that saved her. Josephine explained where the keys were and when the good Samaritan opened the door, she found Josephine in a sad state,” Ng’etich says.

Josephine is the first born of three children.

“When we went to apprehend the mother, she was very arrogant and not remorseful. The girl was rushed to a local dispensary where she was given painkillers and is now residing with the grandmother. The father is also currently in the wind after he heard that we were looking for him,” he says.

The Kuresoi North Sub County Police Commander Judas Gathenge says that the mother identified as Tabitha Wanjiku is currently in custody and they are in pursuit of her husband Peter Maina.

 According to Mr. Gathenge preliminary investigations have since established that Maina is the stepfather of the minor.

“When Wanjiku was married, she already had the aggrieved child. Later, the couple were blessed with two other children. She will go to court later in the day, to face charges of assault. The child will be taken to Molo Sub County Hospital for further treatment,” the police boss added.

Nakuru County Woman Representative Liza Chelule condemned the incident, urging parents to take care of their children and be accountable for their children's well-being.