Get to the bottom of Moi Girls school rape claim, clear doubt

The Government owes it to the country to let them know what really happened at Moi Girls School, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

Reports that the Moi Girls High School student might have been assaulted by lesbian colleagues are disheartening. This is according to an internal investigation and another one by Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).

These investigations found inconsistencies in reports of the incident following interviews with the victim, fellow students and workers at the school. Following the initial reports and the ensuing uproar the school principal Jael Mureithi was forced into early retirement.

The Government ordered demolition of illegal structures near the school and all male teachers and workers and their male relatives in the school at the time of the attack were ordered to submit samples for DNA testing.

One month later the findings have not been made public despite the Government's assurance of a speedy conclusion. We don't want to accept or dispute both the internal investigations and the one by Kuppet, we want to urge the Government to present its findings and DNA results to settle the case on Moi Girls School. The results were scheduled to be released by July 2, 2018.

When the rape claim was first made, what followed is the characteristic knee-jerk reaction that has become synonymous with Kenyans whenever there is tragedy.

It is an indictment of our society. We have become so cynical to the extent that we are quick to condemn without facts. If the two investigations prove true, then it is an indictment on students at the school who knew about the claims of rampant lesbianism at the school, and the victim and her parents who perhaps knew the truth but chose to keep quiet.

Further, it is an indictment of the media for propagating something totally different from what might have happened. Indeed, the media should have done more than merely report the incident.

This is why we want the Government to release the report of the investigations. It owes it to the student, her family, fellow students, the former principal and the male workers and their relatives who were made to undergo DNA tests. According to Nairobi region DCI Nicholas Kamwende a total of 107 samples were collected from suspects.

Finally the Government owes it to the country to let them know what really happened.