A promising Kenyan long-distance runner has walked free from Naivasha Maximum Prison after serving a five-year sentence in a conviction he says stemmed from being misled about a young woman’s true age.
Harrison Ndirangu, 24, from Ol Kalou in Nyandarua County, spoke publicly following his release, saying he had no idea the woman at the centre of the case was a minor.
“I never knew she was 17 years old,” he said during a post-release interview.
When did Ndirangu return to Ol Kalou from Japan?
Ndirangu’s athletic journey began remarkably early. By the age of 16, he was already competing on road and track circuits in Japan, reportedly earning upwards of half a million Kenyan shillings.
He went on to represent Kenya in competitions across the United States and five other countries outside Africa, building a reputation as one of the country’s most exciting young runners.
In 2021, after returning to Ol Kalou from a stint in Japan, Ndirangu joined friends at a local bar to mark his homecoming.
Ndirangu’s encounter with young woman
There, he encountered a young woman who was both a neighbour and a family friend.
She told him she was 22 years old and was struggling financially, asking whether he could help her find work so she could care for her three-year-old child.
Acting out of goodwill, he took her on to help with household chores and look after his elderly grandmother.
Ndirangu receives call, arrested and taken to Kipipiri Police Station
It was while Ndirangu was away at an athletic training camp that his life took a sharp turn.
An urgent call summoned him back home. When he arrived, he found police officers and the woman’s parents waiting at his family compound.
He was arrested and taken to Kipipiri Police Station, where authorities revealed for the first time that the woman was legally 17 years old.
Ndirangu sentenced to five years in Naivasha Maximum Prison
He maintained throughout the proceedings that he had been deceived about her age and alleged that jealous individuals had set him up.
The court, however, found him legally liable, and the then 19-year-old was sentenced to five years in Naivasha Maximum Prison.
What lies ahead for the runner, whose international athletic career was effectively cut short at 19, remains to be seen.
