A Kenyan detective Lawrence Okoth, from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations was on Tuesday, May 24 recognised as a hero during an event held in the US.
Lawrence Okoth, who is attached to the DCI’s Anti Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit received the Everyday Hero Award from the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
Okoth was praised for his role in the protection of vulnerable and exploited children in Kenya.
He is a certified digital forensic investigator whose outstanding performance in handling matters affecting children and safeguarding their rights stood out across the world.
In the last 3 years, Okoth utilized his skills to nail suspects involved in exploiting children in the country.
In his acceptance remarks, the detective who could barely hold his tears of joy wowed the guests further as he recounted incidents of how he had rescued minors from exploitation and helped them regain back their lives and dignity.
Okoth acknowledged the immense support that he had received from the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in terms of training.
In one outstanding case, the detective who is a Computer Science graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, arrested a 71-year-old paedophile after he shared disturbing tapes online, depicting child sexual abuse.
This led to a manhunt for the elderly man who is a telecommunications pensioner from Germany and who had sexually abused two boys aged 11 and 13 in Ukunda, Kwale county before he fled to Nyalenda in Kisumu.
While in Kisumu, the pensioner who received his monthly cheque from his previous employer in Germany, continued luring young boys aged between 11-13 into his trap, before defiling them until he was arrested on May 2020 in Nairobi, as he tried to escape.
After conducting a thorough background check on the paedophile, the detectives managed to obtain his past criminal records, opening a fresh can of worms into the life of the suspect who had spent 5 years in various jails in South Korea on drug-related charges.
Upon his release from prison in South Korea, in 2018, the suspect moved to the Kenyan South coast, where he set-up base Ukunda and began preying on young boys.
Since his arrest in 2020, the jailbird has been on remand at the Industrial Area Prison as his trial continues in court.
Source-https://www.pulselive.co.ke/
Kenyan detective receives prestigious award in US for rescuing children
