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By Shaban Makokha
Kakamega– Police in Kakamega have arrested Lumakanda Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Wycliffe Kwendo over the alleged defilement of a 16-year-old Grade Eight pupil.
The officer is under investigation over allegations of defiling the minor from Mautuma village in Lugari and threatening her parents with a firearm. Further allegations indicate that the officer attempted to persuade the girl’s family to settle the matter out of court.
According to police records under OB No. 14/27/09/2026, the incident began when the OCS allegedly lured the girl’s parents away from their home in Kambi Moto, Kipkaren River, claiming that a security raid was imminent and advising them to evacuate to a safer abode.
Western Region Directorate of Criminal Investigations chief Douglas Chikanda confirmed that Kwendo had been arrested and was being held at Kakamega Police Station as investigations continued. “The officer was arrested on Sunday and put in custody at Kakamega Police Station. Detectives and officers from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) are investigating the matter,” said Chikanda.
For the girl’s father and mother, what began as an act of goodwill turned into a terrifying ordeal that left their daughter traumatised and the parents demanding justice. They say they never imagined that the decision to leave their daughter behind would lead to one of the most distressing discoveries of their lives.
The mother became suspicious and reportedly persuaded her husband to return home with her. When they arrived at their house in Kambi Moto, Kipkaren River, they found the door locked from inside. Their daughter eventually opened it. Inside, the parents allegedly found the senior police officer with the teenager. They say his shorts were unbuttoned and he was holding his shoes.
The mother then reportedly spotted two condoms—one used and another unopened—on a table and took them, believing they could be important evidence. A quick confrontation followed, with the officer allegedly pleading for an out-of-court settlement. But the situation allegedly took an even more frightening turn when the officer brandished his firearm and threatened to shoot the mother unless she surrendered the items. The couple say they handed them over. The officer allegedly took their mobile phones, left KSh20,000 with them and fled.
But the most painful discovery was yet to come. After searching around the compound, the parents reportedly found their daughter behind the house, traumatised and lying on a pile of old iron sheets. For a family that had left home believing they were protecting themselves from danger, the discovery was devastating. The teenager was rushed to Lumakanda Sub-County Hospital, where she received treatment and underwent a forensic examination.
These allegations have since triggered calls for a thorough investigation and justice for the minor. Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera brought the matter into the public domain during a church service at Mautuma Church Parish on Sunday, condemning the alleged incident and calling for justice. For the teenager and her family, however, the focus now is on recovering from a night they say shattered their sense of safety—and on ensuring that the truth about what happened is established through the law.
Under Section 8 of Kenya’s Sexual Offences Act (Cap. 63A), defilement is defined as committing an act that causes penetration with a child. The Act prescribes severe penalties based on the child’s age:
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Age 11 or below: life imprisonment.
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Age 12 to 15: minimum of 20 years’ imprisonment.
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Age 16 to 18: minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment.
In this case, the victim is 16 years old, which falls under Section 8(4). If convicted, the officer faces a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment. The Act also criminalises attempted defilement (Section 9), which carries a minimum of 10 years.
