Kenyan prison warden arrested for allegedly raping a COVID-19 patient in quarantine

A prison warden in Kenya has been arrested and placed under mandatory quarantine after he was allegedly caught raping a female COVID-19 patient at an isolation center he was stationed to guard.

Local news platform, Daily Nation, reports the incident occurred at the Agricultural Training Centre in Busia County where the accused prison constable was guarding the isolation facility alongside other colleagues and police officers. The warden, in the early hours of the morning on the day of the incident, was found in the room of the patient and alleged victim.

Per the police report seen by Reuters, a colleague saw the accused warden having a conversation with a patient and brought it to the attention of other officers after feeling uncomfortable.

“They heard noise and commotion coming from the women’s ward,” the report stated. “They (officers) rushed there and found all the patients outside and complaining that the prison officer was raping the said lady patient.

“Health officers were summoned. The officer has been disarmed by senior officers from prison and quarantined within the facility.”

This incident comes amid mounting complaints about the poor conditions of some of the treatment centers being run by the Kenyan government. Health experts have also warned this recent attack may stoke further fear among locals and dissuade them from willingly testing for the novel coronavirus, Reuters further reports.

In a related news, Kenyan officials report over 150,000 teenage girls became pregnant during three months of lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – a 40% increase in the monthly average.

According to officials, there has been a significant rise in teenage pregnancies, especially since the start of COVID-19 restrictions in March. Data released by the health ministry show that in just one county, about 4,000 teenage girls have become pregnant since the start of the year.

As part of safety measures announced by the government, schools were closed nationwide in mid-March. The authorities fear that close relatives of the underage girls could be responsible for their pregnancies.

Kenya reportedly has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world, making up 82 out of 1,000 births.