Update: Schoolgirl stripped nak3d by police awarded Sh4 million
(Updated: 20/12/2017)
The 18-year-old girl from Kanyama Secondary School in Karatina was allegedly stripped naked and photographed for hiding bhang in her undergarments
The High Court has awarded Ksh 4 million to a school girl who was strip-searched by police in August 2015, for being in possession of bhang. The court in its judgment ruled that the teenager’s rights and dignity were violated.
The 18-year-old girl from Kanyama Secondary School in Karatina was allegedly stripped naked and photographed for hiding bhang in her undergarments.
She pleaded guilty to being in possession of bhang and was remanded in police custody for 18 months. The female student was among 44 others who were arrested at Kibirigwi trading centre in Nyeri when police intercepted the school bus they were in and caught them smoking bhang and having sex.
The incident happened along the Karatina- Nairobi road in August 2015, as the students were going home for the August holidays.
A girl whose naked pictures were taken by a police officer after she was arrested with bhang has sued the government.
The girl, who was among the 45 high students arrested using drugs and engaging in public sex aboard a bus, is seeking Ksh7 million in compensation from the government.
Her picture was taken as a police officer strip-searched her at Sagana Police Base.
The images, which were shared widely on social media, caused outrage with many saying the student’s rights had been violated.
Through Kioko Munyithia Ngugi and company advocates, the student has sued the Inspector General, Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions over the incident.
In the suit, the girl says that the officers’ actions violated her privacy, security, access to justice and rights as an arrested person.
The girl termed the incident as a violation of her fundamental rights and freedoms.
Her lawyers also want the case facing her, after she was found with a stash of bhang in her undergarments, halted until the petition is heard and determined.
Also Read: Police Officer Who Stripped Naked Drunk Students Send Packing
Though her lawyers, the teenager said her case resulted from invasive misconduct by police, therefore it is invalid.
In her petition, the schoolgirl argues the incident has caused her embarrassment, anxiety and mental distress.
Early this month, police on the Karatina-Nairobi road intercepted a bus in which a group of 45 students from different schools were travelling home for the August holidays. – Citizen Digital
