A grade one child is fighting for her life at the JM Memorial Hospital in Ol Kalou town, Nyandarua County where she was rushed after being attacked and dumped in the bush overnight by an unknown assailant.
The girl was found on Thursday, July 15 morning in a thicket near River Murindati, about one kilometre from her home in Kagaa village, Kanjuiri ward in Ol Kalou constituency.
The area assistant chief, Ruth Nyambura said the girl failed to return home from Kangathia primary school causing the villagers to mount a search which failed to trace her on Wednesday evening.
“The search went on until midnight (Wednesday) when it was called off due to darkness. It resumed this morning and the girl was found in a thicket along River Murindati,” the assistant chief said.
She said the villagers formed four search groups with each being given a direction to follow in the search.
She said it was the group that was tasked with searching along the river that found the child.
The administrator said the girl’s eyes are swollen and appear to have been pricked with a sharp object.
The chief warned that anybody found to have been involved in attacking the child will face full force of the law. She said they will not allow such acts in the location.
A community health volunteer, Anthony Muhanda said the attack on the child has shocked the community and warned that there could be a cult-like group in the country that is targeting to harm children.
“We have to be very careful when sending our children unaccompanied to carry some task away from home.
Jane Njeri said the attack on the 9-year-old child had instilled fear in parents because their children are normally sent to shops and other places.
“Let parents stop sending out any child without being accompanied, however short the distance from home is,” she said.
Njeri called for hanging of people found to be attacking children.
“Those defiling girls should be castrated to served as a lesson to others with such intent,” she said.
The parents who were too shocked refused to talk.
The matter was reported at the Tumaini police station.
