MERU: A fourteen-year-old boy is nursing serious injured at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital after two men burned him using hot machetes.
The boy (name with-held), speaking with The Standard on Saturday in the presence of caregivers, said he was circumcised by a doctor on Sunday morning, something that did not go well with some people at his home in Athwana in Igembe North, who prefer boys going through the traditional rites of passage.
Some community members demands that boys get circumcised the traditional way, and those who go to the hospital are frowned upon.
Narrating his ordeal, the boy said he was resting by the fireplace in his hut when two men known to him burst in at around 1.00am and proceeded to place their machetes into the fire.
"They then tortured me by putting the hot pangas on my thighs and buttocks. I screamed but unfortunately, there was no one in our compound to rescue me. My parents didn't hear me and nobody came to my rescue," said the tearful boy.
A younger relative had visited him and left earlier so the boy was left at the mercy of his two attackers, who screamed abusive words to him, on top of burning his legs and buttocks.
Stanley Thuranira, a neighbour, carried the boy in his car and took him to the hospital.
"They are poor, so I had to use my car to rush him to hospital. It is a cruel attack on an innocent boy," said Thuranira.
Friday, Peter Manene, a nursing officer at the hospital, said the boy suffered extensive burns and will have to be attended to for some time.
"He has 15 per cent burns. A hot panga was used on some parts of his body. We have cleaned and dressed his injuries and given him anti-biotics," Manene said.
Igembe North OCPD Cornelius Sing'oei confirmed the incident and said police were searching for the two men and will arraign them in court to face assault and child abuse charges.
"They are known, and we should arrest them shortly. It is a heinous thing they did but we will apprehend them and charge them, for appropriate action,' said Mr Sing'oei.
