By Dorothy Musyoka
A Bungoma court has sentenced a 38-year-old Job Wafula Lukhale to life imprisonment after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) successfully secured his conviction in a defilement case.
Senior Resident Magistrate Hon. M.A. Onyango found Lukhale guilty of defiling a four-year-old PP1 pupil on December 14, 2024, at Myanga village.
In her ruling, the magistrate stated that the prosecution had conclusively proved the three key ingredients of defilement as set out under Section 8(1) and (4) of the Sexual Offences Act.
“I find that the prosecution has proved the three ingredients of the offense of defilement and I proceed to convict the accused,” ruled Hon. Onyango.
The court heard that three witnesses positively identified the accused after he was found in a thicket with the minor. This evidence went unchallenged and was crucial in directly linking him to the crime.
A pre-sentencing report presented in court detailed the severe physical, emotional, and psychological trauma suffered by the young victim. The child’s mother testified that her daughter continues to experience abdominal complications and lives with the emotional scars of the ordeal.
The prosecution team Wycliffe Minishi, Grace Gachau and Recheal Karani called seven witnesses, ensuring that the case was thoroughly presented and the victim’s dignity was protected throughout the process.