Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has warned North Eastern chiefs and leaders who fail to take action against rapists.
Mr. Matiang’i said leaders, chiefs and their assistants who use ‘primitive’ community resolution to deal with rape cases will be sacked and arrested.
Speaking in Wajir on Tuesday, Mr. Matiang’i who hit out at the practice of maslaha said rape cases in the region are on the rise.
He described such arbitration by community leaders as primitive saying that issues of rape and other forms of sexual violence should be reported to the police for action to be taken.
“Chiefs and leaders should not condone such acts. Anywhere rape will happen in this country and you try to mediate, we will fire you and jail you. We will not allow our children to be treated this way,” he said.
The CS urged the single men in the region to ask the elders to assist them in getting a wife instead of sexually assaulting young girls.
“Why can’t you ask wazee to help you get a wife? Let us give each of our children an opportunity to grow,” said Mr. Matiang’i.
The warning by the CS comes as police are investigating a case where a 15-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men earlier this month in Habaswein, Wajir County.
Communities in the region use the maslaha system to resolve various disputes, including cases of rape and defilement, where perpetrators only pay fines.
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