Chances are you watched Citizen TV’s news feature ‘Child Gangs of Dandora’ on Sunday. We were told how children as young as 14 were terrorizing girls in the area, by gang raping them. One of the ‘gang members’ interviewed narrated how they lock up girls for weeks, even months, taking turns to rape them.
The ‘gang leader’ who agreed to talk to Citizen, was only 17 and had his face blurred, just like the victims interviewed.
It is now emerging that Anne Mawathe might have shamelessly fabricated the story.
In a letter addressed to Media Owners Association of Kenya and copied to Royal Media Services, Pastor Joseph Kamiri, a volunteer working with a youth and children’s organization in Dandora, says that Citizen TV’s crew paid the young girls, alleged to be rape victims, and the boys alleged to be gang members, Sh 1000 each to be interviewed.
Mr. Raphael Munjal, a youth from the area, coached the young girls and boys according to Pastor Joseph.
The gang leader, later identified as Maphin Muchoki, is actually the son of Mr. Irungu, a former Kenyan boxer.
As a result of poor blurring by Citizen TV, the ‘gang leader’ was easily identifiable, and it is said his parents were greatly perturbed to see him on TV.
One of the girls who posed as a 17 year old is in fact 18.
The woman who alleged to have gotten pregnant as a result or her rape ordeal, is actually married and the child has a known father. On the feature, she wondered what she’ll say when her child asks her who’s the father.
Raphael was the recruiting officer in all this, and the child actors were to be given Sh1000 down payment, and more after the story aired on TV.
On Monday, community leaders summoned all 5 ‘actors’ to extract information on why they did what they did. This is when they revealed everything.
Pastor Kamiri has lodged complaints officially with Cabinet Secretary for Interior Government, his PS, Nairobi Senator, Mike Sonko, Women Representative, Rachel Shebesh, FIDA, COVAW among other authorities.
Citizen TV has not responded to the allegations.
Here’s the feature.
© nairobiwire.com
Follow @nairobiwire
