Mombasa, KENYA: Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has directed county officials to clear medical bills of a woman who was gang raped, tied to a railway line and ran over by a train.
Irene Siongola,23, hit the headlines last month after narrating her rape ordeal that left her without limbs and a huge hospital bill at Aga Khan hospital amounting to sh. 2.1 M.
Speaking on Thursday during International Women’s Day celebrations at Maunguja polytechnic in Kisauni, Joho noted that Irene’s case has been talked upon by many leaders hence immediate action had to taken.
“County government is for the people.Leaders have asked the county to intervene in Irene’s case. I stand before you to make a directive to the county officials to ensure that her hospital bill is cleared and she gets a proper home,” he said.
Joho further added that Kisauni legislator Rashid Bedzimba,Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir and Jomvu MP Badi Twalib and Mombasa county women representative Mishi Mboko have pledged to donate sh.100,000 each for Irene to start a business.
Irene’s case caused an uproar in the county with women activists staging demos over the increase of sexual gender based violence in the region.
READ ALSO: Activists protest over rampant Sexual Gender Based Violence in Mombasa
The mother of two narrated that she was on her way home when two men approached her and covered her mouth and dragged her to a nearby bush, where they took turns to sexually assault her.
They later tied her across a railway line and since she could not get any help, she was ran over by a train.
Luckily, good Samaritans managed to rush her to Coast General hospital and afterwards she was transferred to Aga Khan hospital for emergency treatment.Her legs were amputated.
