This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
On June 30, 2020, High Court judge Ngenye Macharia made a significant ruling in the case of rugby stars Alex Olaba and Frank Wanyama, who were convicted of raping a woman at her residence in Nairobi's Highrise Estate.
The judge quashed the 15-year jail sentence and ordered a retrial, citing a critical flaw in the appeal process: there was no evidence that one of the witnesses was either sworn or not before giving evidence.
Olaba and Wanyama, former Kenya Harlequins players, had been sentenced to 15 years in jail last year by Magistrate Martha Mutuku after being found guilty of raping the upcoming female musician after attending a birthday party.
They have consistently denied committing the offense and maintained their innocence.
As a result of the High Court's ruling, the two are now set to take plea before a Magistrate's Court on July 7.
