High court judge raises concern over increased cases of defilement in Northeastern region
Judge Onyiego said courts in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera have recently been prosecuting a high number of defilement cases, especially girls out of school herding livestock.
Garissa High Court judge John Onyiego has raised concern over increasing cases of child defilement in the Northeastern region.
He said courts in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera have recently been prosecuting a high number of defilement cases, especially girls out of school herding livestock.
Speaking in Wajir during a supervision visit of lower courts, he called upon parents in Northeastern to ensure young girls were taken to school to avoid exposing them to dangers of sexual abuse while herding livestock.
"Most of the cases are young girls below 14 years who were sexually offended while herding livestock somewhere where they had no one to protect them. Parents should take responsibility to take these young girls to school," he urged.
The judge warned community elders against presiding cases of defilement through the local Maslah courts that serve as an alternative justice system.
He said the Maslah courts have helped to solve many cases that helped to reduce congestion in the jails and workload in the courts but were limited to specific cases.
Onyiego cited rape, murder, terrorism and early marriages as some of the cases that the alternative justice system had no mandate to administer.
He said sexual offenders will continue committing more offenses once allowed to go free through the Maslah courts where elders resolve cases through money compensation to the families of the victims.
During his tour, the high court judge also released seven prisoners in an effort by the judicial system to decongest Wajir prison.
He said four of them were assigned to undertake community services for the remaining term of their sentence.
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