Police rescue girl, 15, from forced marriage

Police in Trans Mara, Narok County, have rescued a Standard Seven girl who was abducted by men who, it is believed, wanted to force her into marriage.

Trans Mara West deputy county commissioner Mohammed Noor said that the 15-year-old, a pupil at Pusanki Primary School, was abducted on Tuesday by a gang of six men.

Police arrested the suspects at a lodging house at Aitong in Trans Mara West acting on a tip-off from members of the public.

Trans Mara West Children Officer Jonathan Naisiae lamented a spike in cases of early and forced marriages in the region in the recent past.

He noted that the incident is the third to be reported in his office in just a week's time.

"The girl is currently undergoing medical examination to ascertain if she was abuse. Investigations into the matter are ongoing and the suspects will be arraigned in court Thursday. Unfortunately, two other girls were rescued from the jaws of forced marriages this week and taken back to school," he said while asking education stakeholders to work with law enforcement to stem the vice.

He asked parents to keep an eye on teenagers especially of the female sex to protect them from sex predators on the prowl.

"You should promptly report crimes to enable early response," he advised.

Narok County still leads the country in cases of early and unwanted pregnancies among school-going teenagers.