A 35-year-old man in Narok County is in detention for marrying an underage girl, holding a traditional ceremony, and posting pictures of his wife on Facebook.
Pilot Khaemba, the director of Narok County Children, said that when the traditional Maasai wedding at Naikarra Village in Narok West Sub-County became viral on Facebook, people began to complain to the police, who then made the arrest.
"We learned via a tip that a man had married a minor and uploaded images to Facebook. I called the police as a result, and they were able to get the suspect. Before he prepared the event, the male is said to have vanished with the girl, 17, "Mr Khaemba stated.
The children's officer continued, "He lied to his family and persuaded them that the youngster was ready for marriage."
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He went on to say that the girl had recently lost both her parents.
Mr Khaemba claims that the minor's older brother conspired to marry her off to keep her out of school.
The event occurred a month after a fifty-year-old man was sentenced to life in jail by a Narok court after entering a guilty plea to defiling and marrying a ten-year-old girl.
Narok Senior Resident Magistrate Phyllis Shinyanda imprisoned Saigulu Ololosereka after he confessed to defiling a 10-year-old girl and illegally marrying her in 2019.
Mr Khaemba criticized the area's high rate of early marriages and urged intervention.
"It is appalling that these criminals have lost all respect for the authorities. We are going down the wrong road if you see such people posting a wedding ceremony with a juvenile, said Mr Khaemba.
The most afflicted areas in Narok are Naikarra, Siana, and Leshuta, where young girls get married.
The children's office also said that authorities have started looking into the girl's family members, who will shortly be detained and charged.
Gender-based violence (GBV) cases have increased due to FGM and the toll that teenage pregnancies are having on the country's female population.
