Kenya: Court awards schoolgirl $40,000 for being stripped by police during search
Kenya’s High Court has awarded $40,000 damages to a schoolgirl who was stripped during a raid by the police two years ago, the Daily Nation reports.
The girl was among a group of students whose bus was stopped by police to search for drugs on August 5, 2015.
The public had informed the police of the bus that was playing loud music while carrying children who appeared intoxicated.
The police entered the vehicle and conducted a search. They found marijuana hidden in the girl’s undergarments. She was charged in court the following day where she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months probation.
Human rights crusaders picked up her case after photos of the search were circulated on social media.
The 45 students from different schools were travelling home, mostly in Nairobi, for August holidays and according to people who saw them at a trading centre in Nyeri, approximately 150km from the capital Nairobi, they were drunk and had been having sex and smoking bhang in the bus.
“I conclude that the search was illegal in that it violated the provisions of the Children’s Act, Article 53 of the constitution, the right to dignity and not be subjected to degrading treatment and international conventions protecting the rights of children and statutory provisions governing police conduct while searching women,” the Justice John Mativo stated.
According to the court, it was wrong for two female officers to search the girl in front of other students and male officers.
