Police in Nakuru have arrested a boy who they suspect defiled and murdered a Grade Six pupil in Lare, Njoro.
Sub-County Police Commander Stanley Koech said the 16-year-old fled after the murder of Mercy Nyambura on Monday evening.
"After getting a tip on who the suspect could be, our investigative team immediately began a manhunt. He escaped from his parent's home within the village,” said Koech.
The minor was arrested at his aunt's home in the neighbouring Mau Narok Ward.
Police claim the boy confessed, saying he was possessed. “We are making a miscellaneous application today to hold him for some days as we conclude our investigations. He claimed that some spirit led him to attack the girl,” said Koech.
Nyambura was reported missing on Monday evening after she failed to return home from school.
Area Chief Kiaraho Mwangi said that after an overnight search, the family visited Sinendent Primary School on Tuesday morning in anticipation that she might have spent the night at a friend’s house.
“When it emerged she wasn’t there, we mobilized the community to conduct a search for her. The residents stumbled on her bag dumped in a thicket next to a maize plantation,” said Chief Mwangi.
A few meters inside the plantation, the locals found her lifeless body in a scene that showed a struggle as the young girl reportedly fought back.
“She had been stabbed in one of her eyes. She had been hit with a blunt object on the head and also strangled. She appeared to have been defiled but that will be confirmed by a medical officer,” said Mwangi.
The residents lamented that the road leading to the crime scene had been neglected creating space for criminals to waylay easy targets such as school-going children.
“The bushes have overgrown, reducing the road to a footpath. With this incident, nobody is safe. It is our prayer that the county government acts sooner than later,” said benard Kamau, an elder.
The elders also raised concerns over the return of illicit liquor in the area, insisting that this has led many youth into its abuse.
“We need a renewed crackdown on these dens. Our youth are getting wasted at very tender age,” said Kamau.
