A 17-year-old Nairobi schoolgirl who disappeared last month has been found in a Westlands hotel with a 26-year-old South African man, raising serious concerns over online safety and child protection.
The teenager reportedly downloaded Tinder after a classmate encouraged her to try the dating app. One of her first matches was Bradley Zwane, who was staying at a luxury hotel in Nairobi.
Police were alerted after the girl failed to return home. Her mother, distraught, said: “I was so afraid. I thought she had been kidnapped or killed.”
Investigators located the girl and arrested Zwane, who claimed he believed she was 18 the age listed on her profile. A search of his hotel room revealed five Kenyan passports, one with stamps from South Africa and Russia, and several used condoms.
Zwane said the passports belonged to a company manager and denied wrongdoing. However, police are probing his links to an alleged international betting firm.
Zwane remains in custody at Kibra Police Station and faces charges including defilement. Authorities are also investigating how the minor gained access to the hotel without proper ID.
The case has renewed scrutiny of dating apps and their potential misuse to target minors.