Woman arrested for defiling blind minor, infects him with STI.
The 17-year old victim narrating his predicaments to the press at the Thika Police Station. |
Police in Thika are
holding a 40-year-old woman for allegedly defiling a 17-year-old blind boy.
Catherine Syokau was
arrested on Monday morning in Kiandutu slums following an outcry from residents
living with disability.
According to the boy
(name withheld), the suspect committed the offence about two weeks ago at his
cubicle which neighbours hers.
“She sneaked into my
room at around 1am, undressed and pinned me onto my bed, threatening to harm me
if I dared raise alarm,” explained the boy.
He added that he
kept this secret to himself for fear of reprisal until two days ago when he
started developing some abdominal pains around his bladder as well as some itchiness
as he passed urine.
Out of fear for the worst, the boy confided to a neighbour
who is a friend to his guardian who then notified her of his predicaments.
When pressed to
explain, he admitted that the mother of four has been pursuing the boy ever
since he came to his auntie in Kiandutu.
“She has been very
social and friendly to me ever since I came here. But of late, she has been asking
me to be her husband since she is lonely and needs someone to help her fend for
her kids,” explained the victim.
The boy said that
she has been persuading him to start begging in the streets as many of his
blind colleagues do, that way, he will have money to cater for her needs and
those of her children.
However, when asked,
Syokau vehemently denied and termed this as a set up to have her arrested.
Jane Wanjiru Nyaga,
one of the blind people who had accompanied the victim to the police station
bitterly lamented the manner in which persons living with disabilities were
treated by the society. She said that their children were segregated and
treated with contempt by their neighbour in what she described as ‘the blind
can do nothing’ attitude.
Some of the blind parents who had accompanied the victim to the police station in a show of solidarity. |
“The contempt has
been extended to our own children who have been segregated and discriminated
upon just because they are born from blind parents. His case is not an isolated
one for in the past, we have lost some of our colleagues from similar attacks
that ended up being fatal.” Said Wanjiru.
Eunice Mwangi, a
community health volunteer based in Kiandutu concurred with her and lamented
the lack of support to persons living with disabilities whenever any one of
them was in any form of trouble.
“People have always
looked down on them whenever they come out to complain of some injustice
against them. No one takes them seriously as they are considered a liability
even by the authorities,” lamented Eunice.
Thika OCPD Willy
Simba assured them that they will arraign the suspect in court once they were
through with their investigations.
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