Nairobi —A Kenyan pastor has been arrested after beating and seriously injuring his 11-year-old son over the alleged disappearance of KES 10 from the offering basket.

According to The Standard, the cleric from Homa Bay County in western Kenya accused his son of stealing the KES 10.

Pastor Vincent Odhiambo was said to have kept the money, which was part of the day’s offering, in his house.

The court was told that Odhiambo pounced on his son with blows and kicks, injuring him in the process.

He, however, denied the charges and was remanded after failing to raise the required KES 100,000 bail.

Incidences of violence against children have rocketed in Kenya in recent years.

K24 reported on Monday that a woman was charged with killing an eight-month-old infant in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi. Twenty-year-old Regina Wambui was accused of strangling baby Stephanie Nzisa to death in the city’s Umoja estate.

An autopsy stated that the baby had fatal injuries to the front and back of the head which caused bleeding to the brain, in addition to injuries on the cheeks.

A report released by Unicef indicated that violence against children was a serious problem in Kenya.

Levels of violence prior to age 18 showed that during childhood, 32 percent of females and 18 percent of males experienced sexual violence, 66 percent of females and 73 percent of males experienced physical violence and 26 percent of females and 32 percent of males experienced any violence as a child. At least 13 percent of females and 9 percent of males experienced all three types of violence during childhood, the report said. — News24.