Father’s plan to marry off 4-year-old daughter to 70-year-old man aborts

A father’s plan to marry off his 4-year-old daughter to a 70 year old man on Tuesday, January 2 aborted after National Council for Children Services (NCCS) officers thwarted the move.

The child was taken from his 40-year-old father in Kirimon village, Samburu West and put into protective custody after the officials were tipped off by her mother and neighbors who were irked by the arrangement.

Samburu County NCCS chief officer, Jane Kabiro told Citizen Digital that the suspect’s plan was to receive 40 cows in exchange of his daughter.

Ms Kabiro further said that the father wanted to recoup the amount of cows he parted with as bride price when he married his estranged wife. According to villagers, the accused wanted to marry a second wife, something that did not go well with his first wife, forcing her to move to her mother’s home.

“With the help of the police we have established that the suspect had chased away his wife and children sometimes back. The wife proceeded home to her children’s grandmother. After they were settled, the man came and demanded to sell off the daughter as compensation for the bride price he paid when he married his wife,” said Ms Kabiro.

Confirming the incident, Mararal OCPD Abaggaro Guyo said that the police have launched investigations into the matter and will take action against the accused if found guilty.

“We received a report on the incident and the information we have at the moment is from the mother. We will grill the accused so as to establish what happened,” said the OCPD.

According to Article 14 of the Children’s Act, it is illegal to subject a child to early marriage or harmful cultural practices. It states, “no person shall subject a child to female circumcision, early marriage or other cultural rites, customs or traditional practices that are likely to negatively affect the child’s life, health, social welfare, dignity or physical or psychological development.”