A man accused of assaulting his sister in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area, Nairobi surrendered to police for grilling on Tuesday.
This is after his 23-year-old sister Ridwan Abdullahi Hassan complained he assaulted her in an altercation at their home.
Abdiaziz Abdullahi, 30 surrendered to police at Nairobi Area Regional DCI for grilling following the said assault on January 2.
He was later freed on bond pending the outcomes of the assault probe.
He told police he was trying to forestall a human trafficking incident involving his sister to Libya.
This, according to him led to the attack.
The family of the siblings had earlier reported in Garissa she was missing.
This is after Ridwan traveled to Uganda on December 26 to what she said was to visit her friends.
But Abdullahi and police said she was stopped near the Rwanda-Uganda border in Gatuna.
She was in the company of another man and their destination was to be in Libya.
The brother of the woman claimed he had learned there is a human trafficking cartel operating in the country and end up taking their targets to mostly Libya.
While in Libya, some victims are tortured and extorted by other gangs there.
Those that can’t afford to pay back the expenses of trafficking them there are forced to join gangs including ISIS related ones.
These revelations have forced police to open the probe into the same, Nairobi regional head of DCI Benard Kasyoki said.
He said he met the parents of the woman and her brother as part of the probe into the saga.
“This is a matter that now under probe to know more on this issue of human trafficking and smuggling,” he said.
“The other issue of assault is ongoing in terms of probe.”
The trafficking gang is said to have changed their route to Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, Chad, CAR and Libya.
This is after the Sudan route was disrupted by the fighting between the military and rebels.
The woman had earlier denied she was fleeing the country.
She said upon her arrival at the border in Busia, she was arrested by police officers and later released.
She was later arrested over the claims of the human trafficking saga.
She was released and they went home where the assault happened.
She was rushed to Bilal Hospital where doctors treated her for injuries to her eyes, ribs, head, and abdomen.
Ridwan claims her brother’s anger stemmed from her decision to travel to Uganda without his approval.
She also alleged that he was frustrated by her refusal to sign documents related to financial transactions, which she believed could exploit her.
Ridwan added that her brother confiscated her identification documents, including her passport, and her mobile phone.
The extended family of the siblings have since intervened and reconciled them amid the probe.
This incident comes as Kenya grapples with rising cases of gender-based violence.
Eastleigh is still reeling from the murder of four women in a case that shocked the neighbourhood.
A report by the United Nations on gender-based violence states that homes are the most dangerous place for women, where they often face abuse from close relatives.
Advocacy groups have called for swift action, emphasising the need for stricter enforcement of laws protecting women.