The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has secured life imprisonment sentences against two men who were separately convicted of defiling four children in Changamwe and Jomvu sub-counties in Mombasa County.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ODPP said the convictions followed successful prosecutions in two separate cases before Resident Magistrate Green Odera, who found that the prosecution had proved both cases beyond reasonable doubt.
In the first case, the court sentenced a 32-year-old man to life imprisonment after convicting him on three counts of defilement, despite his denial of the charges.
"He was sentenced on three counts of defilement contrary to Sections 8(3) and 8(4) of the Sexual Offences Act after he was found guilty of defiling three boys," the statement said.
The court also convicted him on three counts of committing an indecent act with a child contrary to Section 11(1) of the Sexual Offences Act.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Purity Musembi led the prosecution and presented six witnesses, whose testimonies the court found to be consistent and corroborative.
According to the prosecution, the offences were committed between 2021 and May 11, 2022.
The court heard that the man had taken in the three minors following the death of their mother as their caregiver but was later found to have repeatedly sexually abused them.
"The case came to light on the 11th of May 2022 after a teacher noticed one of the boys was walking strangely, and upon questioning, the minor disclosed the accused had sexually abused him," the prosecution added.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police.
The three minors were later taken to Coast Provincial General Hospital, where medical examinations confirmed sexual abuse.
In his judgment, Magistrate Odera held that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the medical evidence corroborated the testimonies of the victims and other prosecution witnesses.
In the second case, the court sentenced a 24-year-old boda boda rider to life imprisonment after convicting him of defiling an eight-year-old girl.
He was found guilty of defilement contrary to Section 8(1) as read together with Section 8(2) of the Sexual Offences Act.
The court also considered an alternative charge of committing an indecent act with a child under Section 11(1) of the Act.
The prosecution presented five witnesses during the trial.
"The court heard that the accused defiled the grade 3 minor on 7th December 2024 at about 2:00 am at Mnazi Mmoja, Mikindani Location within Jomvu sub-county after the guardian left her under his care and proceeded to work," the ODPP said.
The Grade 3 pupil later informed her mother of the incident, prompting a report to the police and subsequent investigations that led to the man's prosecution.
Medical evidence presented during the trial corroborated the witness testimony, and the court rejected the man's defence that he had been framed.
In convicting him, Magistrate Odera ruled that the prosecution had proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt.
Both men were granted 14 days to appeal against their convictions and sentences.
