Family demands answers after Form Three girl disappears from school

A family in Kisii has been in agony for the last ten days after their Form Three child disappeared from school.

Judy Moraa, the mother of the girl who is a student at St Charles Lwanga Inchuni Girls, said she received information on Saturday, July 9, 2023, that her daughter was missing.

It is not exactly clear what time the girl left the school, or the circumstances under which she left.

On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, Ms Moraa, accompanied by other parents, went to the school demanding to know the truth about the girl’s disappearance. However, they were denied entry. They were locked outside the gate.

They wanted the school to hand them the CCTV footage of the day the minor disappeared for their inspection.

And when the school administration locked the school gate, the parents went to Masaba South sub-county police commander’s office to complain about how the matter is being been treated.

Moraa said it has been a difficult time for her family since last week when they received information that her daughter was not in school and no one knows anything about it.

Travel to school

“I received a call from an unknown number and the caller seemed to inquire about the whereabouts of my daughter. I was later called to the school but the management did not initially tell me why they wanted me to travel to the school,” said Moraa.

She added: “We searched the entire school compound but my daughter was nowhere to be seen. Not even her uniform could be traced.”

The family later moved to Ramasha Police Station where they reported the matter.

The mother said she has visited nearly all her relatives in search of her daughter but to no avail.

“I do not know why the school won’t let us inspect the CCTV footage,” Moraa said noting that some of her daughter’s clothes were found in a toilet.

“I wonder how my daughter left the school without being noticed by anyone. I want my daughter, dead or alive. The school is well-fenced and has enough security guards. How did my daughter leave the school without being noticed?”

“I need assurance my daughter was actually in school on the day she disappeared,” said Moraa.

Sub-county police boss Samuel Gitau said they will summon the school’s principal to record a statement over the incident.

Forward the file

“The girl went missing from school and if there was a case of negligence, then we will forward the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions for criminal charges against those responsible,” Gitau said.

However, the local Director of Criminal Investigations officers said they had forwarded the CCTV footage to their headquarters in Nairobi for further analysis.

The sleuths said the footage they received from the school was not clear. “The lights were off, but we have experts who will give us a better analysis and a way forward,” said one of the officers.

Sub-county Education Officer David Sankaka called on the parents to remain calm as security officers investigate the matter. “We know they are in pain but we will do everything possible to trace the missing child.”

Last month, a student from the school was allegedly defiled by a medic in the nearby hospital where she had been admitted to. The perpetrator was arrested and later charged at Keroka Law Courts.

A week ago, another student was allegedly married off to an aged man, who lives not far from the school. The suspect was later apprehended.

Gitau said the suspect tried to evade arrest but was later put behind bars. “We will not play around with matters touching on our children. All those involved in such crimes will face the consequences.”

eabuga@standardmedia.co.ke