Kenya protest after alleged gang-rapists ordered to cut grass as punishment

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kenya's capital Nairobi Thursday after police punished the alleged rapists of a 16-year-old schoolgirl by making them cut their compound's lawn.

The girl, widely referred to as "Liz," was gang-raped after returning from her grandfather's funeral in the village of Busia in western Kenya in June, women's rights groups say.

After the assault she was thrown into an outdoor pit latrine, breaking her back. When she regained consciousness she crawled out of the sewer and was discovered by villagers who heard her screams, activists say.

The girl, who is now in a wheelchair, later identified three of the six alleged attackers and villagers rounded them up and brought them to the police station in Tingolo. According to activists the men were arrested for assault and detained but were never officially prosecuted -- and were instead ordered to cut the grass around the police compound before being released.

Her alleged rapists' light sentence has sparked outrage in the country, which experiences high rates of domestic violence and sexual discrimination despite being one of the most developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Thursday's demonstration, dubbed "Keep off our panties," was organized by an umbrella group of campaigners fighting to end violence against women including the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), African Women's Communication and Development Network (Femnet) and Youth Deliver.

Women's rights group Avaaz, one of the organizers, also drew up an online petition calling for justice that has gathered more than 1.3 million signatures.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

According to Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper, the protesters planned to deliver it to the office of Kenya's Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

"The organizations have resulted to a radical measure to call for the attention of the state and the need for the state to ensure action in addressing rape and specifically amplify the call for arrest of perpetrators of the gang-rape of the 16-year-old Liz," said Saida Ali, COVAW's executive director.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

• 'What a man can do, I can do better': Young women challenge Kenyan society