By Debra Rono
A middle-aged man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Iten Law courts for defiling his daughters.
The girls aged 8 and 1.5 years are said to have been defiled by their father on the 17th of October last year at their home in Kipkenda village, in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
According to a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Magistrate Hon. Virginia Karanja noted that the compelling evidence provided by four witnesses including the 8-year-old victim proved to the court that the accused was guilty of his offense.
“While delivering her verdict, the magistrate emphasized that the compelling evidence presented by the four prosecution witnesses, including the 8-year-old victim and a medical doctor, indeed confirmed that the accused committed the offense,” read the statement in part.
The senior magistrate further disclosed that the children and their mother were negatively impacted by the incident and required psycho-social support.
Hon. Karanja emphasized the importance of implementing measures to put an end to the numerous incidents of defilement in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
“She acknowledged that the offense is prevalent in the county and that deterrent measures should be put in place,” read the statement.
According to the ODPP annual report, 11,366 sexual offense suits were filed in court in 2021, with 6,467 (56.9%) of them being defilement-related. According to the data, convictions for sexual offenses increased by 1.64%, from 78.5% in 2019-2020 to 80. 14% in 2020-21.
The report further showed that the Rift Valley had the largest number of rape and defilement instances (1,421), followed by Nairobi (1,395), Nyanza (932), Coast (793), Western 723, Eastern 686, and Central Kenya, 470.