18-year-old Kenyan high schooler who was stripped naked and filmed while the police searched her for marijuana in 2015 has been awarded Sh4 million (nearly $40,000) as compensation.
A Kenyan high court ruled on Monday that the rights and dignity of the student of Kanyama Secondary School in Karatina were violated during the strip-search which resulted in her semi-nude photos going viral on social media, reports local news portal Standard Media.
The girl had served 18 months in jail for the possession of marijuana after pleading guilty. She later filed a lawsuit, jointly with child rights NGO CRADLE Children’s Foundation, claiming compensation for the “embarrassment”. They demanded Sh7 million (nearly $70,000) in damages.
The student was among 44 others arrested on a school bus heading to Nairobi on vacation. They were stopped on suspicion of smoking marijuana and engaging in indecent acts.
Kenyan police have recently come under scrutiny for manhandling protesters and suspects who have not been proven guilty. The country’s worst cases of police brutality were experienced in the past months during and after the August and October presidential elections.
Face2face Africa is an African-owned and operated media platform committed to informing and connecting black people around the world. Our mission is to bring a balanced perspective to the African narrative and provide the platform for discourse and interaction. If you have an important story to share or would like us to bring more attention to something in your community, please email us at storiesthatmatter@f2fafrica.com.
