When we meet Stella* at her home in Nakuru County, she is visibly apprehensive. Lately, the sight of new faces scares her. A few minutes before we reached her home, Stella had called our source informing her that she was leaving, heading to her friend’s house.

Reason, people known and unknown to her have been visiting her home asking her to drop the pursuit for justice of her 16-year-old daughter who was allegedly defiled by her teacher.

Once our source confirms to her that we are the guests she was expecting, Stella welcomes us into her home, and begins narrating the ordeal that has put a target on her back.

Read: Lost Innocence: EDITOR'S NOTE

According to her, her second born daughter Cate* was defiled by her teacher in July 2022, and has since given birth to a son.

“I came to learn about this in April this year. Last year November, before she sat her KCPE I had noticed that Cate seemed pregnant. Upon inquiring from her, she denied it.”

Stella says Cate had asked to visit her aunt in Nairobi after finishing her examination, something that she agreed to.

“When she came back in May this year, the pregnancy was now visible. That’s when I insisted that she tells me who was responsible. I was shocked to learn that it was a teacher at her primary school,” she says, taking a brief pause to let the room soak in her words.

With Cate in hand, Stella says she stormed the home of the school’s Parents Association chair angry, seeking answers as to why her child would be defiled yet the school kept it from her.

It was then that the yarn started to unravel, stringing along the family’s woes.

“We went to the Chief’s office to report the matter. He then asked us to go to the police station which we did. The police said we would be required to go to the Nakuru level five Hospital (PGH) for various tests to be done on Cate”

Early the next morning, the family went to the police station, as they were to be accompanied by police officers to Nakuru. However, Stella says one of the officers told her it was a holiday (Labour Day) and they should come back the next day.

Also Read: Lost Innocence: Step by step process on how police officers handle defilement cases

Undeterred, Stella was at the station at 5am the next morning, where they headed to the PGH hospital and tests were done on Cate. At this point, Cate was almost giving birth, and the labour pains were kicking in.

Despite visiting the station on May 3 and 4, the family wasn’t able to go to PGH as Cate delivered her son on May 4 at 7pm.

A few days later, officers identified to Stella as Teachers Service Commission (TSC) officials visited her home and recorded statements from Stella and Cate.

Safe house

Soon after, people unknown to Stella were sent to her home, enticing her with money, land and even a tender to supply foods to the school, as long as she would drop the matter.

All these, Stella says she declined. It was then that she started fearing for her life and that of her child as the visits were becoming more frequent and the messengers more forceful.

With the help of the area Child protection volunteer, Stella reached out to officers from the children’s department, who visited the home and took Cate and her son into a safe house.

“I was so happy when they took Cate and the baby because I couldn’t protect her here,” Stella says sobbing.

However, the random visits didn’t stop.

“Since May 2023 to date (November 28, 2023) I have been visited by the Chief, police officers, teachers of Cate's former school and other people I don’t know, all asking me to sign documents that I do not understand. Yesterday, I did not sleep in this house.”

Mr Cosmas Mutua, founder of Hope in Life foundation reveals that Stella is right to be paranoid, as they’ve had to move Cate to another safe house, after the location of the first one was compromised.

Stella’s unrelenting quest for justice led her to the County Gender Chief Officer, Gladys Kamuren.

In an interview with Mtaa Wangu, Ms Kamuren admitted that she was aware of the case, adding that she had taken Stella to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in Nakuru to follow up on the case.

Nakuru County Gender Chief Officer Gladys Kamuren during an interview on November 28, 2023.

Photo credit: PURITY KINUTHIA/MTAA WANGU

“We did not get any assistance at that office,” Ms Kamuren said.

Mtaa Wangu was allowed to speak to Cate under close supervision by the children protection officers.

While the back and forth goes on, Cate’s biggest concern is that she may not be able to join secondary school next year, thus deterring her dream of becoming a musician.

“I just want to join school so that I can study and help my parents,” she says softly.

Mtaa Wangu can confirm that the teacher who has since been interdicted is facing a disciplinary case and that the latest hearing was held on November 30, 2023 at a high school in Nakuru City.

Asked to comment on the matter, the county TSC Director Mr Joseph Kariuki confirmed that the case was ongoing, but refused to speak on the progress saying it was now a legal issue.

Related: Lost Innocence: The unsettling truth about defilement in Nakuru County

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Lost Innocence: A Nakuru woman's fight for justice after daughter was allegedly defiled by teacher

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Reitz Mureithi