Woman, 19, jilted after long trip to first date

A 19-year-old woman and her two children are stranded at Kiutine market, Meru County, after the man she had visited fled.   

The woman had travelled from Nakuru to meet her new love, whom she had met on social media.

The two, who are said to have communicated through a series of text messages before the meeting, however, disagreed on their first date.  

She claimed the man invited her to Meru and promised to take care of her and her children.

She told Nation.co.ke that she was, however, disappointed that the man, who she realised was older than he had claimed, was reluctant to get tested for HIV before sex.

SINGLE

“He told me that he was 28-years-old and single. On meeting him, he declined to take us to his house, which he claimed, was still wet since he had just mopped,” said the woman.

She added: “I learnt that he was over 40 years old and was married.”  

The man, who is said to have sent the mother of two Sh1,300 to facilitate her travel to Meru, abandoned the woman at a hotel room.

“He declined to take a HIV test saying he believes in herbal medicine, we had been chatting for over one year before he invited me (to visit him),” she said.

Well-wishers raised some money for the woman outside Kiutine police post before Mr Julius Kithinji, a local village elder, offered her accommodation.

BUS FARE

On Tuesday, residents, who wanted the man to pay the woman’s bus fare to Nakuru, stormed his home and carted away his motorcycle, which they deposited at Kiutine police post.

The woman claimed that the man was demanding that she reimburse the Sh1,300 he had sent her for bus fare and another Sh500 he had paid for the lodging.

"We started chatting when I was pregnant with my second child, I even told him so and he said he was okay with it," narrated the woman, who said she dropped out of school while in Class Seven after becoming pregnant.  

“I would like to go to school, I wish to advise fellow women not to fall to such tricksters,” she said.

LURED

Area Assistant Chief Gitonga Mucheke said they were still pursuing the man.

“He has declined to show up at the police post, he is now shifting blame on those who have been assisting the woman,” said Mr Mucheke.

Ms Monica Gacheke, a resident, decried erosion of African traditions. She said that many girls were lured into relationships by money. 

“Traditionally, elders used to visit each other’s families, girls could not visit young men’s homesteads without the elders’ approval,” said Ms Gacheke.