Family cries out for justice over girl raped by Catholic priest

A Catholic priest has been accused of raping a schoolgirl only minutes after giving her bananas and oranges for her sick mother in hospital and praying for her.

The priest, who was serving at Gekano Parish in Kisii Diocese in November last year when the incident reportedly occurred, then tried to swear the 16-year-old girl to secrecy with a promise of education.

A senior administrator in the diocese, also a priest, confirmed that a complaint had reached the bishop’s office over the matter, and said investigations were ongoing.

But the girl’s family suspects a cover-up plot, citing the fact that the accused priest has since been moved from the diocese and the conduct of another priest who later visited their home to collect the clothes worn by the girl at the time she was allegedly raped.

The family has also accused the police of inaction even though they reported the matter to the Keroka police station.

The Class Seven girl is said to have gone to the priest’s house to return the plastic bag in which she carried the fruit to her mother who was at St Elizabeth Gekano health centre about 70 metres from where he lived.

The woman had been admitted with malaria on November 23 last year, and her daughter was taking care of her.

The priest visited the sick woman to pray with her between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. the following day.

“After praying he asked me if I had taken any food, but I said that I had no appetite. He asked me if I would take some bananas and oranges.

“He said that he had some fruits in his house which he wished to give to me. I accepted. But the priest instructed my daughter to make sure that she returned the plastic bag,” the mother told the Sunday Nation this week.

“Within a short time the girl had brought a bunch of bananas and two oranges. I ate one and gave one to the nurse,” she said.

The mother of six said that after removing the fruit her daughter returned the bag to the priest’s house as instructed.

“She stayed there for long, and I started getting worried where she was. She was supposed to go home and prepare lunch for her siblings, and yet the keys for the house were on my bed,” the mother said.

“She did not come back and instead went straight home. In the evening I decided to leave hospital and go home and asked her why she returned without taking the keys, but she kept quiet.”

She said the following day her daughter opened up and told her what had happened.

“While in the house he asked me why my parents were always fighting, but I kept quiet,” the girls said. “He then asked me to allow him touch my breast, but I declined again as I got frightened.”

Warned her

She said the priest forced himself on her, tore her clothes and then defiled her. The girl said the priest then promised to assist her to pursue her education and warned her not to disclose to any person what happened as people would laugh at him.