Kenyans protest after suspects in gang rape sentenced to cut grass Rights groups say 16-year-old girl was raped on her way from a funeral She was then dumped in a sewage ditch Police made the alleged attackers mow the lawn as punishment, then freed them The teen is confined to a wheelchair as a result of the rape Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- Kenyans marched through Nairobi Thursday to demand justice for a teen who was allegedly gang-raped, and the suspects ordered to cut grass as punishment. The 16-year-old was allegedly dumped in a sewage ditch after the attack, local human rights groups said. She later identified three of six suspects, who cut grass at the police station and were freed afterward, according to the groups. Neither Kenyan Police Chief David Kimaiyo nor the national police spokeswoman responded to CNN's repeated calls for comment. Protesters made their way through downtown to his office to deliver a global petition demanding the arrest of the suspects. They chanted "justice for Liz," the nickname given to the teen by the local media. Men and women waved underwear and placards, and stuck others on the gates of the police chief's office. Some danced, beat drums and cried. Cries for help Liz was walking home from her grandfather's funeral in the northwestern town of Busia when the alleged attack occurred. Hours later, neighbors heard her cries for help and pulled her out of the latrine, bloody with broken bones, rights group said. She identified three of her alleged attackers and an angry mob of neighbors hauled the suspects to the local police station. But what followed added to the outrage. Police ordered the suspects to cut grass in the yard, then released them shortly after, said Milalnoi Koiyiet, a representative for Kenya's Coalition on Violence Against Women, which is providing the teen with free legal help. Confined to a wheel chair Word of the attack got out in October -- three months later --- when one of her doctors, so outraged by incident, called a journalist at the Daily Nation newspaper. The newspaper broke the story, and is spearheading a fundraiser to pay for her medical bills.. By then, Liz had been hospitalized several times, and was confined to a wheelchair. She also suffered from a condition that makes her unable to control her bowels as a result of the rape, the coalition said in a statement. She's been in and out of hospital since June. Her mother, a small-scale farmer, leased her land to make extra money to send her to a bigger hospital in the nearby major city of Kakamega, according to Koiyiet. Liz is not the teen's real name. Outrage on social media An outcry ensued on social media, with Kenyans demanding the arrest of the suspects and the officers who ordered them to cut grass. Global campaigning network Avaaz launched an online petition demanding justice. It had more than 1.3 million signatures by the time protesters delivered it to the police chief's office Thursday. Confusion over arrests In a Twitter message Saturday, Kimaiyo thanked Kenyans for bringing the case to light. He said suspects have been arraigned and are awaiting a hearing. But that tweet has since been taken down and replaced by one saying the case is under investigation. He did not respond to CNN's calls and tweets seeking clarification and more details. More protests planned "The inordinate delay in prosecuting this case is causing immense distress to the victim and her family," Winfred Lichuma said this month. Justice delayed is justice denied. She slammed the handling of the case, saying the lack of arrests "reeks of a calculated design to scuttle the case altogether." Local rights groups have teamed up to demand justice in the case and are planning more protests until arrests are made. The numbers may be higher because many of rapes go unreported for fear of stigma. If found guilty of gang defilement, the suspects face 15 years to life in prison, Koiyiet said. CNN's Sandra Muhwezi reported from Nairobi, and Faith Karimi wrote and reported from Atlanta