Police on the spot after girl, 13, escapes from Likoni cells

Police in Mombasa are on the spot after a teenage girl disappeared from their cells in Likoni last month.

The 13-year-old girl went missing about three weeks ago after spending a night at the Likoni Police Station where she was booked alongside a 23-year-old man.

Trouble for the Mtongwe Primary School pupil started on the morning of January 23 when she packed her bag and headed to school as usual.

But hours later, when her sister went to buy vegetables at the Likoni Channel she bumped into her in the company of the young man.

“When I reached the [Likoni] Channel, I saw someone who resembled my sister and when I got closer I saw her with a man who was holding her on the shoulder,” said her sister.

Alarmed, the minor’s sister sought assistance from nearby security guards who arrested the man.

'COUPLE BOOKED'

The guards directed her to report the incident to Likoni Ferry Police Station.

“After some hours, a Land Cruiser came for us and we went to Likoni Police Station where I left my sister and the man booked at the cells,” she said.

The next day, the sister went to the station to follow up on the minor’s case but was informed she had been taken to Likoni Health Centre for a medical check-up.

“We went to the hospital with a female officer and after my sister had been attended to we went back to the station and the policewoman said that we should check whether her sister had made it to school the day before,” she said.

Before they reached the school, a police officer called the policewoman who was with the minor’s sister to ask if they had left the health centre with her.

“The teachers that the girl did not report to school that day. We went back to the station and to my utter shock I was informed that my sister was missing from the cells,” she said.

'GONE WITH FILE'

More puzzling was police officers’ revelation that the minor disappeared with a file that had her medical test results.

To date, the woman has not heard about her sister, the last born in a family of seven.

The man she was with has since been charged with defilement charges at the Mombasa Law Courts.

Contacted on Monday over the missing teenager, Likoni OCPD Benjamin Rotich said they are still searching for her.

“We are yet to trace her. Our officers are still following the matter,” Mr Rotich said on the phone.

Frustrated, the teen’s sister has resorted to paying local youths to help her trace the younger sibling after police told her people going missing from the station is rather normal.