A 35-year-old man from Narok County has been arrested for marrying a 17 year old girl after holding a traditional ceremony, and posting pictures of his alleged ‘wife’ on Facebook.
According to reports, Pilot Khaemba, the director of Narok County Children, noted that when the traditional Maasai wedding at Naikarra Village in Narok West Sub-County became viral on Facebook, people began to complain on the website which prompted him to call the police who then arrested the culprit.
“I learned of the incident when the man shared the images of the wedding of him and the girl on Facebook, after it prompted a lot of questions and aggression from the people, which made me called the police and as a result they were able to arrest the man. It is also said that before he held the event for the wedding, he had disappeared with the girl,” said Mr. Khaemba.
According to reports, the 17-year-old girl who is reported to have lost both of her parents was married off by her older brother in a scheme to keep him from taking her to school.
This incident comes months after 50-year-old Saigulu Ololosereka, was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment by Narok Senior Resident Magistrate Phyllis Shinyanda after he admitted of defiling a ten-year-old girl and marrying her in violation of the law in 2019.
Reports indicate that there have been several instances of young girls being married off in Narok County in towns like Naikarra, Siana, and Leshuta, where intervention is required since cases of gender-based violence (GBV) have been on the rise.
Mr. Khaemba, also noted that the police officers have started an investigation on the girl’s older brother whereabouts where he will soon be arrested and prosecuted.
