Class Three Girl Defiled, Murdered, And Dumped In A River

Another disheartening case of a murdered class three pupil was reported in Kericho.

According to the Cheymen sub-location Assistant Chief Samuel Koech, The girl who is suspected to have been lured out of the Cheymen estate camp on Tuesday, was allegedly defiled and murdered before her body was dumped in the Cheymen river in Londiani, Kericho county.

The body of the pupil was discovered floating in the water covered with wood by estate workers who were plucking tea.

Koech further revealed that the girl was stabbed on the left side of her chest before she was thrown into the river and that there were signs of struggle at the crime scene, showing that the minor might have attempted to defend herself.

This disclosure came after the child took a long to arrive home from school on Tuesday which made the parents worried and suspicious. They reported the matter to the Chagaik police post.

Shortly after, her body was found floating in the river by estate workers who raised alarm thereby attracting area residents and the relatives of the girl who positively identified the body.

The body has been since taken to the Kericho sub-county hospital mortuary.

This incident at Kericho is just one of the many reported cases in Kenya of children being kidnapped and their bodies dumped after they are murdered.

In the last few months, there has been an increased number of children, both young and old disappearing and with each passing day, parents struggle to come to terms with the fact that their children are at risk of disappearing and murdered.

According to a 2019 report by the National Crime and Research Center, Kenya was ranked 17 out of 19 on the list of countries where child kidnapping is rampant. The issue is still on the rise since then.

Koech has appealed to parents to be vigilant and monitor their children carefully and not to let them go to the river or forest without the company of relatives or friends.