Evelyne Ogutu And Amos Kareithi
29 March 2006
Nairobi — Several organisations and individuals have expressed outrage over the rape of 10 Kangubiri Girls High School students as the Government dispatched a team to investigate the incident.
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) detectives, education officials and other officers visited the school to probe the matter.
The team is also investigating whether the girls were under the influence of drugs when they walked out of school, at night, after breaking down the gate.
The Central Deputy Provincial Director of Education, Mr Timothy Opot, said a team had been dispatched to the institution.
The school board of governors will meet today to deliberate on the issue.
Elsewhere, a non-governmental organisation yesterday said it would institute private prosecutions against the school administration.
The Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW) said it was watching keenly how police handle the case.
Anne Njogu, CREAW's executive director, said she believed the school had contributed to the horrors the girls went through. She said the school must have turned a deaf ear to the girls' complaints.
She said she had sent a team to the school on a fact-finding mission.
"I believe the school management failed to respond to the problem in time. As a result of this negligence, the lives of 10 girls have been ruined. Somebody must pay for this," she said.
In another development, a team of human rights activists yesterday visited the school.
Fatuma Ibrahim, a commissioner with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, who led the team, said they would assist the victims.
"We want to meet the girls and see if we can provide medication for the three girls and also investigate the matter," said Ibrahim.
Nyeri Narc activist, Ms Mary Wambui, also visited the school. She said she would support the affected girls.
Meanwhile, the school principal has denied knowledge of problems in the school.
"I convened a meeting with all school captains on Saturday. None of them reported any of the students having any problem," she said.
And nominated MP, Dr Esther Keino, has condemned the rapes. She termed the incident "barbaric and heinous".
The Law Society of Kenya, Kericho branch, said girls and women must be protected against rapists.
Branch secretary, Gideon Mutai, called for the arrest of culprits.
Meanwhile, a suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Central Provincial Criminal Investigation Officer, Joseph Ngisa, said the man was in police custody.
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