The sentencing of Emmanuel Mutemi, Kennedy Irungu, Peter Mwaura, and Ben Thuo to 30 years in prison marks the conclusion of a harrowing case of the defilement of a 14-year-old girl in Laini Saba area, Kibera, Nairobi.
The crime was committed on the eve of the new year in 2022.
Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul, presiding over the case at the Kibera Law Courts, delivered the sentence after determining that the prosecution had convincingly established the guilt of the four men beyond reasonable doubt. The ruling was based on the compelling testimonies of nine prosecution witnesses, whose accounts and presented evidence firmly placed the defendants at the scene of the crime.
“The magistrate also noted that the offence of Defilement has become so rampant in Kibra hence, the sentence should be a deterrent to those intending to pursue that direction in society,” the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions noted in a statement on Thursday.
According to submissions made in court, the victim was heading home from a church service to usher in the new year on 1st January 2022 at midnight when the four men accosted them.
She told the court that her friend managed to escape but she was cornered by the men who took her to a nearby abandoned mud house and took turns to defile her from midnight until daybreak.
“She further told the court that they threatened to slit her throat had she tried to scream for help,” added the ODPP.
“She added that she managed to identify the perpetrators through the illumination of street lights and recognized them since they were people, she could see in the neighborhood on a daily basis.”
