After 10 minors from Marsabit were rescued from a lodging in Kisii town, police in Kisii detained a preacher linked to a suspected child trafficking syndicate.
The rescue operation created tension in the area as curious residents demanded to know the reason for the minors’ secret detention amid rumors of cultic involvement.
Residents stormed the facility after learning that ten minors had been detained there by unknown people.
Later, police officers arrived on the scene and rescued the ten emaciated children aged 4 to 10. Authorities learned that the minors are from Marsabit.
Two people, according to witnesses, brought the children to the lodging.
“They arrived the other day around 6 p.m. “They were making a lot of phone calls,” Teresa Bonareri, the lodging attendant, explained.
The Adventist preacher, who claimed to have ferried the minors to Kisii town to provide them with better living conditions, is being held by DCI officers.
The suspects claimed the children were on their way to the Eberege SDA church in Kenyenya, according to Kisii Police Commander Charles Kases.
“We received calls from Marsabit claiming that the children had been brought here illegally.” “There was no procedure,” Kases stated.
According to Teresa Bonareri, a cleaner at Zonic Hotel, the two men, who are regular customers, checked in on Wednesday and the minors joined them the next night.
However, South East Kenya Field President, Pastor James Ondabu, stated over the phone that the SDA church was unaware of the sponsorship program and discouraged the use of the church’s name for untrustworthy activities.
