Tarime — FELISTA Laurent (15) had not been admitted to hospital in her life, until November 4, this year, when she was attacked by his father, Laurent Nyonyo and hospitalised at Tarime District Regional Hospital, with serious wounds. This was after she refused to get married. Staff Writer MUGINI JACOB visited the young girl at the hospital and now reports...

SHE is young and plans to begin her secondary education next year. Sadly, her future stands in limbo because her father wanted to receive some cows in dowry, forcing her to accept early marriage and thus sacrifice education.

The decision by Felista to reject an offer for early marriage has denied her father nine heads of cattle, but she is now feeling the pinch of not becoming a mother as early as her father wished.

"I have never been admitted to a hospital since I was born, but I am now wounded and hospitalized for refusing to be married", Felista says.

The girl sat for her Standard Seven National Examinations at Kenyamanyori Primary School in Tarime District, Mara Region in September, this year. The examination results have not been announced.

"I have performed well and I am sure I will pass my final examinations. My dream has always been to proceed with secondary education", she says.

After being beaten up by her father who used heavy objects, Felista was taken by her mother, Juliana Laurent, to the Tarime Police Central Station, where she obtained a PF3 before undergoing treatment at the district largest hospital.

Police in Tarime confirmed that Felista was brutally attacked and she has vowed to bring to book her father and elder brother.

"The girl was unconscious when she was brought to us by her mother and we immediately gave her PF3 in a bid to rescue her life. Thanks God she has now improved, " Tarime/ Rorya Acting Regional Police Commander

(RPC), Mr David Hiza, says.

Mr Hiza who is also the Regional Crime Officer (RCO), says police force says failure to bring Feslita's father to book will mean police force is promoting early marriages in the area.

"We must take action and it should not be seen as if we are promoting early marriages", the RCO pointed out when reacting to complaints by Felista's mother, that police did not bother to arrest her husband after they were informed about the matter.

Juliana says that the girl was jointly attacked by her father and elder brother, Mwita Laurent, accusing her of denying cows in form of dowry.

"Her father had feared that if Felista would pass her examination, she will be compelled to pay for her education and eventually miss cows as a substitute for dowry. That is why he is forcing her to get married as soon as possible, before the examination results are out," says Juliana.

She further added that soon after completing standard seven, one boy in the village engaged Felista and her father asked the boy to give him nine heads of cows, but the young girl rejected to be married, insisting that she wanted to go to school.

After Juliana rejected the offer, the boy decided to engage another girl in the same village, where he succeeded and gave the dowry in form of cows, something that made Nyonoyo and his elder son Mwita angry.

"The cows are now hearting my husband ( Nyonyo) and my elder son, especially when they see them passing near our house", she says.

Juliana says she was also injured by her husband when she tried to rescue Felista. "They have not even bothered to come and see us in the hospital. I had 30,000/- which is now finished and I don't know how we are going to survive here at the hospital", Juliana complains.

The woman accused her husband of not contributing anything when it comes to education for their children. "I am the one who meets education costs of my son who is at Mwema Secondary School.

His father does not do anything to help him and even if you ask the Headmaster of Mwema he will tell you the truth," she says.

Juliana, a mother of nine children has been engaging on small-scale mining activities in Tarime to get money and to meet educational costs of her children.

Some Tarime residents have been notorious for arranged marriages, with school girls being the main victims.

Only few girls are strong enough to resist the pressure under the support of their mothers, who have decided to resist such pressure.

In this area, only few people can speak against elders who still perpetuate such practices and that is why even local leaders will never dare to make accusations against the practice.