Police raise concern over rising cases of defilement in Bomet County

Police in Bomet County raise concern over rising cases of defilement and GBV. [File Courtesy]

A sharp and alarming rise in child defilement cases and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Bomet County has triggered deep concern among police forces.

Bomet East Sub- County police commander Michael Singa says the situation is worrying and that appropriate measures are being taken.

Singa says defilers will not be tolerated or accepted in the area, adding that parents and guardians need to inform the police of defilement cases promptly.

“We are not going to allow defilers to roam and cause trouble to innocent children and teenagers,” Singa said.

Singa says defilement is a criminal offence under the Sexual Act and offenders risk being jailed for life.

The police boss also called for civic education on how to handle and preserve defilement evidence as a way of handling sexual offences in the area.

Singa lamented that in some instances, parents and guardians of defiled children, or even adults, who are sexually molested, interfere with evidence, hence jeopardising police efforts to nail suspects.

He also defended the police from accusations that they have been frustrating efforts to bring the suspects to book by being compromised, adding that the law enforcement agents base their actions on reports by the parents, guardians or the complainants.

Singa also blamed parents and guardians, adding that most victims of sexual violence fail to get justice after the parties are compromised.

“Some even interfere with evidence by failing to preserve the scenes or things like garments so that police can deduce evidence that can help nail the suspects,” he said.   

Singa’s warning to defilers comes as police arrested a 52-year-old man for allegedly defiling two minors aged six and ten years on Friday at Murany area in Longisa ward. 

The suspect, identified as Kipkirui Sitonik, allegedly defiled the minors on their way home from school.                         

 "It was around 12:45 pm on Friday as the victims were heading home from school, when the suspect accosted them and dragged them into a maize plantation and defiled them and gave them Sh50 each so as not to reveal the heinous act," Singa said.

He said the minors revealed the matter to their parents, which prompted a search operation, after which the victims were taken to Longisa Referral Hospital for medical examination.

Police officers, with the help of members of the public, later tracked down the suspect and found him in a drinking spree at a local bar in Kembu Trading Centre, where he was arrested and in custody at Longisa police station and would be arraigned in court once the investigation is complete.       

A few days ago, Bomet Senator Hilary Sigei raised similar concerns and called for urgent national government interventions to address the menace.

He noted that the problem cuts across gender, age and social class, affecting women, men and children in equal measures.