A 14-year-old girl has been rescued from an early marriage in Kajiado County, authorities have confirmed.

Kajiado County Commissioner Michael Yator said the girl, who reportedly eloped with a casual labourer on December 28, 2025, was traced and rescued from the casual labourer’s rural home in Trans Nzoia County.

The minor, a Grade 7 student at Merrueshi Comprehensive School, has since been placed in a safe facility where she is undergoing counselling. Police have launched a manhunt for the suspect, identified as Mark Wafula, who escaped arrest.

His mother of and brother were apprehended for harbouring a minor and the multi-agency security teams from both Kitale and Kajiado counties are in pursuit of the suspect.

Commissioner Yator decried the rising cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in the county and urged parents to take greater responsibility in safeguarding their children.

“I want to urge parents to closely take care of their children – both boys and girls. You should be aware of where they are at all times,” he said.

He further called upon the Maasai community to abandon retrogressive cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM). H said the practice significantly contributes to early marriages and teenage pregnancies.

“FGM is one of the major factors that drive early marriages and teenage pregnancies in this county,” Yator warned.

The county commissioner also urged parents to discourage their children from engaging in early sexual activities. He disclosed that nearly half of the births reported at Mashuuru Hospital in Kajiado County involve teenage mothers.

He encouraged members of the public to report cases of FGM, early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and gender-based violence to National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) and security agencies in their localities.

The commissioner also urged NGAO officers to intensify civic education during barazas “public meetings) to educate communities about the risks posed by the vices.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Diana Meneto