Police probe OCS for alleged sexual harassment

By Edwin Cheserek

Marakwet, Kenya: A senior police officer in Marakwet East District is under investigation over allegations that he sexually harassed two female high school students.

He is also being probed for allegedly assaulting a watchman who was responding to the women’s distress calls.

The students from Lukuget Day Secondary School allegedly bumped into the OCS, who was in the company of two junior officers, on their way home from school mid last month.

He ordered for their arrest and allegedly commandeered the students into a nearby bush where the officers started caressing them instead of disclosing the offence they had committed and taking them to the nearby Mogil Police Station.

According to the students, the officers touched them indecently while attempting to remove their skirts.

This prompted them to raise an alarm attracting the attention of the night guard who rushed to the scene.

“I identified the senior officer and asked him what was happening. But he became infuriated and assaulted me, assisted by the junior officers,’’ he said.

Commotion

The officers then attempted to arrest the guard but teachers and students who heard the commotion rushed to the scene and intervened.

Marakwet East District Education Officer (DEO) Gabriel Ogano said the matter had reached his office and was under investigation. “This is a serious matter and we expect to be given results of the investigations,’’ he said.

Area OCPD Elijah Maina confirmed that the officers were under investigation for the alleged gross misconduct in the sexual assault case against the students and physical assault of the watchman.

“We don’t want to speculate and we ask the aggrieved parties to give us time to complete investigations so that action can be taken,” he said.