Do you think every child in Kenya’s juvenile justice system is a manifestation of a failed family unit and dysfunctional communities?
Six minors,were on Thursday charged with gang raping a 16-year-old boy at Shikusa Juvenile Prison, Kakamega.
However,four of the suspects pleaded guilty of molesting the boy on two consecutive days.
The six suspects are being held at the facility for correctional purposes after they were convicted on separate offenses.
State Prosecutor Hilda Omondi told the court that on October 23, three of the accused persons left their beds at the dormitory where they are housed and proceeded to the complainant’s bed.
The complainant refused to comply with their sexual advances but was molested and forced to keep it a secret.
“When they were done, they left him with a stern warning not to disclose the activity if he valued his life.the next day, on October 24, the other three proceeded to make similar demands,” Omondi told the court.
According to the prison warder manning the dormitory,he heard commotion on the second day and peeped through the window, noticing some of the accused persons were not in their beds and instead were at the victim’s bed.
However they pretended they were looking for a newspaper and were ordered to return to their beds.
The complainant tried to run away but he was caught by the officers who later interrogated him, the complainant narrated what he had gone through, saying it was the reason he wanted to run away.
The matter was reported at Kakamega Central Police Station.
The other two who denied the charges were ordered to be remanded at a separate remand facility as they await their case on November 29.
Violence against children in Kenya is on the rise. Gaging Kenya’s scorecard on juvenile justice, Article 48 of the Constitution that provides for access to justice remains on the periphery.
This is largely attributed to a myriad of factors in the juvenile justice system that expose children to abuse.