Clinical officer arrested over incest in Zomba

MALAWI: A 49-year-old St Lukes hospital clinical officer, Moses Chinula is in Police custody for allegedly defiling his 3-year-old daughter in Zomba district.

The incident happened in the morning hours of 28th January 2022 when the mother of the victim went out for other duties and returned home at dusk.

Confirming the development, Zomba Police Station Publicist, Sub-Inspector Patricia Sipiliano said the victim told her mother early evening that "dad has injected me" whilst crying uncontrollably and pointing at her private part.

"This prompted the mother to undress her and she discovered some bloodstains. She came to report the issue at Domasi Police Station where the victim was issued a medical report and referred to Domasi hospital for treatment and examination. At the hospital Health personnel confirmed that the victim had been defiled," said Sipiliano.

The suspect, Chinula, has been arrested and will soon appear in court to face the long arm of the law against his charge. He comes from Chimala village, Traditional Authority Mtwalo, Mzimba district. 

In the year 2021 alone, an initiative that aims at ending gender-based violence and child marriages in the country Youthnet and Counseling (YONECO) registered over 1,400 cases of rape and defilement.

Commenting on YONECO's latest annual data collection of rape and defilement cases, Speaker of Parliament, Right Honorable Gotani Hara, expressed sadness over the rise in the registry for cases of rape and defilement which she believes has been attributed to good data collection by Institutions such as YONECO.