38-year-old teacher narrowly escapes lynching after being caught raping pupil in maize farm

A junior secondary school teacher narrowly escaped lynching after he was caught raping a grade 7 pupil in a maize plantation in Nandi County, Kenya.

The teacher Eric Rotich, 38, was fished out of the maize farm by irate members of the public who found him defiling the girl at the weekend.

The teacher had parked his motorcycle on a roadside after waylaying the pupil who was heading home with maize flour from a posho mill.

The public was attracted by distressed cries from the girl calling for help from the maize farm.

Tindiret sub-county police commander Mohammed Jireh, confirmed the arrest of the teacher on Sunday, July 2, 2023, saying he would face the law.

“The victim was taken to Meteitei sub-district hospital for treatment and for further investigations because this a serious matter and the suspect will face the law,” Jireh said.

According to the Soba location Chief William Lulei, the suspect together with the defiled child was handed to him by members of the public.

They took them to Songhor police station where the teacher is expected to appear at the Maraba law courts in Tinderet.

The suspect is a JSS teacher at Sigoria Junior Secondary School while her victim is a pupil at the neighbouring junior secondary school.

“The teaching narrowly escaped the public wrath after he was shielded by police officers who arrived at the scene just on time after I summoned them,” Lulei revealed.

Tinderet sub-county has the lowest transitional rate for girls in the Six Nandi sub-counties due to early marriages and dropouts occasioned by early pregnancies.

An NGO operating in the area “Chalan Foundation” which supports young mothers to return back to school, says most school-going girls got impregnated through defilements that were never reported to authorities.

Margaret Koskei, the foundation chair lady noted that due to poverty and the harsh environment in Tinderet, families decide to remain silent and marry off their daughters at tender ages.

“We want to return all young mothers to school, many have returned through our efforts and have even completed University education,” Koskei says.