Shock as police detain class six abortion suspect in cells
Kilifi County chief officer of Health Dr Timothy Malingi (right) and director of medical services Bilali Mazoya visit the Standard Six pupil from Ganze who was admitted to hospital after a botched abortion. Police had locked her into the cells for four days after the attempted abortion. PHOTOS | KAZUNGU SAMUEL| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The family and human rights group Sauti ya Wanawake’s Kilifi chairperson Judith Uchi on Wednesdayy called for the boyfriend’s arrest.
- Instead of taking the pregnant pupil to hospital, police detained her in the cells while announcing that she was under arrest.
- The girl stayed in the cells from June 23 to Monday 27, when she was arraigned before a Kilifi court and charged with procuring an abortion.
A Standard Six pupil’s family is in shock after police in Kilifi threw her into the cells for four days after she was arrested for attempted abortion instead of taking the minor to hospital.
The Ganze schoolgirl admitted to having taken some ‘medicine’ given to her by her boyfriend to procure an abortion that went awry and left her writhing in what she said were stomach pains.
“She confessed to her headteacher that she was in a lot of pain after an attempted abortion, which prompted the teacher to call us with the news,” Mr Suleiman Baya, the girl’s cousin, told the Nation on Wednesday at the Kilifi County Hospital, where she was admitted under police guard.
The family and human rights group Sauti ya Wanawake’s Kilifi chairperson Judith Uchi on Wednesday called for the boyfriend’s arrest.
Mr Baya said the family recorded a statement at Bamba Police Station before taking the girl to a local health centre.
“She was given some painkillers and the health officer told us to take her for a scan,” said Mr Baya. “We had hoped to rush her to Kilifi County Hospital because of her condition but the officers took her back to the station.
But instead of taking her to hospital, the police detained her in the cells while announcing that she was under arrest.”
The girl stayed in the cells from June 23 to Monday 27, when she was arraigned before a Kilifi court and charged with procuring an abortion.
She was then taken to the Kilifi County Hospital after her condition deteriorated.
However, it was not until Tuesday night that the girl was taken to the theatre.
On Wednesday, the County’s Chief Officer in charge of Health, Dr Timothy Malingi, said doctors delayed to take her to the theatre because it was full.
He said cases of minors and young girls getting pregnant and attempting abortion have become rampant in parts of the county.
“This has saddened us because it affects their future lives and their health,” the officers said at the hospital after visiting her.
Dr Malingi however said he was confident sexual violence, abuse of children and early pregnancies will reduce after the county built a gender violence and recovery centre at the hospital.
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, under whose docket gender falls, is expected to launch the centre on Thursday.
