Nairobi police have arrested ten suspects in connection with an incident in which a woman was captured on video being raped along Mto Lane off River Road.
The suspects include the man who raped the woman as it emerged that the two might be lovers.
“We have ten suspects in custody; all of them are street children. What I have discovered is that the suspects and the woman know each other. She is also a street urchin. We are looking for her. If you watched the video, you could hear her saying that the man, who was having sexual intercourse with her, was her lover. I would say they have their own life,” Mr Tito told Citizen Digital.
Tito appealed to the woman to go to Central police station and record a statement.
In the undated footage, a street boy identified as ‘Baite’ was filmed – at first – forcing himself on the woman, who later could be heard referring to the supposed rapist as “mtu wangu”.
She said during the act: “Huyu ni mtu wangu [He is my friend].”
This statement, among others made by her, left a section of online users questioning the legitimacy of the rape claims.
However, others noted that the supposed rape victim was being cooperative after she had been threatened with death.
“Do not kill me, please don’t. I have not refused to cooperate. Please do not film me in the act. Why would you do that? Please remove that person filming us from here. Why are you taking videos of us? This is not my first time to have sex,” the woman said.
The woman was also heard screaming for help: “Hapana, hapana. Na-rape-iwa.”
One of the onlookers can be heard shouting: “Si wewe ndiye umekubali.”
The Nairobi Police boss now says following the discovery – about the nature of the relationship between the street boy and the woman, and the tone of the conversation when the video was shot – it is unlikely rape charges would be pressed against the suspect.
“Does that now become rape; or public indecency? I want to believe the two people captured on video are grownups. If they are grownups, then I don’t think we would charge the main suspect with rape. We might only be looking at an offense where the street boy and the woman performed an indecent act in public,” said Mr Tito.
Tito said Central CID boss Samuel Kobina has taken up the matter.
