Anger in Kenya over the gang rape of a teenage girl has intensified following reports the alleged attackers were made to cut grass as a punishment and then let go.

Kenyan newspapers say when the rape was reported police officers ordered the suspects to clear a grassy area around their station, but no further action was taken.

The 16-year-old victim’s mother said: “I asked the police what to do. They told me to take my child to a pharmacy. No test could be done there. They told me to make sure that my child continues taking pain killers. After a week my child’s condition became worse and I wondered what to do and the whole matter had already been dealt with.”

The attack happened in June in a rural town in the West of the country.

Campaigners say the authorities response to rape in such areas is often wholly inadequate.

The Coalition on Violence Against Women says rape cases in Kenya often go unreported. It is also claimed that social attitudes to rape in some areas are such that the victims can be ostracised in their communities.