Police in Nakuru are looking for a former convict who sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy whose mother had given him shelter in her house.
The boy confided to his school’s deputy headteacher that he had been molested by a neighbour, whom he identified. The man had claimed that his house was closed due to rent arrears.
The victim’s mother, whose name we have concealed to protect the boy’s identity, told Nation.Africa that she received a call from the school on November 1, telling her that her son was in pain and that he was behaving unusually.
The woman, who works as a house manager in Nairobi, said teachers had told her that her son had been skipping lessons despite being in the school.
She said that when she went to the school, she found her son crying. On further inquiry, he said he had a stomachache, alleging that he had tried to talk to teachers but no one listened to him.
Teachers insisted that she should be given a letter and leave with her son. She heard that her son had skipped mid-morning classes and was found sleeping near the school toilets.
The boy agreed to speak up on the condition that the man who had assaulted him would be arrested. This shocked his mother.
He confided to teachers that he had been sexually assaulted by his neighbour and that the man had threatened to kill him if he spoke to anyone about it.
His mother recalled that on the day of the alleged incident, her son had called her, telling her that he had found a menial job that he intended to do on weekends and that he would work with a neighbour.
Although he did not say who the neighbour was, he said he wanted to do the job so that he could help his grandmother with money to buy food and school necessities for his siblings.
She said that later in the evening the neighbour, identified as Meshack Ndugu, came to the family’s house and requested to be allowed to sleep there. The boy called his mother and told her about the request.
At night, after locking the house, the neighbour allegedly laced the boy’s tea with an unknown substance and sexually assaulted him.
“He just told me that he felt dizzy after taking the tea and slept. In the morning when he visited the washroom he felt pain in his private parts and noticed blood,” she said.
“When my son inquired what had happened, the suspect informed him that he had assaulted him and threatened to kill him if he dared to tell anyone.”
She said her son was taken to a hospital and doctors confirmed that he had been molested. They reported the matter to the Njoro Police Station but the suspect escaped.
The woman said the suspect is an ex-convict who finished his 20-year jail term at the Nakuru GK Prison after the court found him guilty of defiling a child. She said he was released in September.
She said she had tried to talk to the suspect’s mother to find out about his hideout but she refused to cooperate, alleging that he had travelled to Nairobi and no one knows where he lives.
“What I want is for my son to get justice. The incident has left him shuttered and constantly doubting his worth. There was a day I found poison in his house,” she said.
“When I asked him what it was for, he said he didn’t see any purpose for living. He doesn’t want to continue with his education.”
Njoro sub-county Police Commander Isaac Odumbe confirmed that the matter was reported at the Njoro Police Station, adding that a complaint file had been opened and officers were tracking down the suspect in Rongai sub-county.
