A 12 year old boy has been arrested in Athi River town by security officers from Kenya Railways Company while trying to steal rail bars.
The class 6 pupil was caught by the officers from Nairobi, who were on patrol, when he was struggling to carry away one of the steel rails a few metres from Athi River's Kenya Meat Commission.
This was disclosed by Mavoko Sub County Children’s Officer, Faith Kamau, who said the boy vandalised the rail with intention of taking it to scrap metal dealers in the region.
"The boy was caught in action by Kenya Railways police officers from Nairobi headquarters struggling to move away the rail for sale in a nearby scrap metals joint in the town," said Kamau.
Kamau said the boy was arrested and taken to a police cell in Nairobi town waiting to be arraigned in court once investigations were complete.
She said the boy's mother, Anne Wairimu, had called on her office to make enquiries on her child's whereabouts arguing that the office was in charge of children welfare.
According to the officer, she had made communications with her colleagues in Nairobi to determine exactly where the minor had been detained.
Kamau said she had been informed that the boy was remanded at the Nairobi's Makadara estate as investigations went on arguing the child ought to have been taken to rescue centre instead of the cells.
She noted that the incident was due to child neglect in negligence on part of the parents and caretakers hence called on all parents from the region to take up their parental responsibilities seriously to avoid recurrence of such incidences.