Police in Mwingi have finally arrested a pastor, Joshua Kimanzi Munuve who has been on the run for allegedly defiling 20 girls.
According to Mwingi Central Sub-County police commander Peter Mutuma, the accused reportedly held 20 girls in his church in the name of praying for them before committing the alleged offence.
Star reports that the accused’s actions came into the limelight last year when parents who worshipped in his church raised an alarm regarding the children who had been turned into sex slaves.
Apparently, parents from Mbungu village where the pastor’s church is located wanted to have their daughter who scored 304 marks in KCPE back after she had been taken captive.
This led to the pastor being exposed and in the process 20 other girls who had been held captive unmasked.
Read: UK-based Kenyan Pastor Under Investigation For Selling COVID-19 Plague Protection Kits
In the same account of events, a resident came out claiming that the pastor had impregnated his niece although no action was taken despite reporting the matter to the police station.
Things turned tough forcing the pastor to flee in the company of a minor who also failed to report to school for form 1. The cat and mouse game with the police authorities continued until seven months later when he was spotted a few kilometres from Mwingi thus leading to his arrest.
In an alarming report released by the Children’s Department earlier in the week, approximately 4,000 school girls below 19 years were reported to have been impregnated in Machakos County in the last four months alone.
Read Also: Alarm As Report Shows 4,000 School Girls Impregnated In Machakos In 4 Months
Through a media address on June 17, 2020, Children’s department officer Salome Muthama linked the surge of teenage pregnancies to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the closure of schools.
The officer said the cases were distributed as follows: Masinga Sub-County-104 cases in the age bracket (10-14) while 601 in the age bracket (15-19). In Athi River, 7 pregnancies for minors (aged 10-14) and 561 for those aged (15-19). Yatta had 10 cases for those aged (10-14) and 462 cases for the age bracket (15-19).
Although the Machakos county government refuted the report, investigations are underway to ascertain and verify the numbers brought forward.
“It’s impossible to have such a big number within the last few months. Hospitals are better placed to provide the correct figures since that is where “most deliveries are done,” said the Education CEC Lazarus Kivuya.
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