A children rights advocate in Nakuru has called for state protection for a child alleged to have been raped after the accused stunned the court by saying he was married to her.
Speaking after attending the case at the Nakuru Law Courts on Thursday, Abdi Sheikh Yusuf said that justice might be elusive due to the child’s background.
“It is with urgency that we call on the state to offer protection in this case because with the accused out on bond, the case might be tempered with,” he said.
Sheikh Abdi who is also the Nakuru County coordinator for children affairs, further pointed out that poverty and lack of knowledge has led to similar cases being compromised after parents were tricked into allowing them to be solved out of court.
Abdi however exuded confidence saying that as an office, they would try to ensure that the parents of the minor are not influenced, something he says could deny her justice.
James Mwangi was on Thursday morning released on a Sh200,000 bond and a surety of a similar amount or cash bail of Sh60,000 by Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Omido after pleading not guilty of raping and performing indecent acts on the 12-year-old girl at Mathanganta Village in Njoro.
James Mwangi told the court that the girl he is accused of defiling is actually his wife adding he doesn’t understand why he was being charged.