This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
On October 10, 2019, a five-year-old girl's life was forever changed when she was defiled by a man she knew in Kirimampio, Igembe South. The perpetrator, David Mwenda, a 30-year-old farmhand, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Senior Resident Magistrate Millicent Nyigei on July 3, 2020.
The girl's ordeal began when Mwenda approached her, saying he needed water to drink. He then lured her to an incomplete house under construction, where he undressed her and sexually assaulted her. The girl screamed in pain, but Mwenda covered her mouth to silence her. Luckily, a nearby boy heard her cries and went to investigate, finding Mwenda defiling the girl. The boy and other children chased Mwenda away, and the girl was later taken to hospital.
A clinical officer at Maua sub-county hospital examined the girl and found a visible laceration and torn hymen, indicating penetration. The medic also noted trauma inflicted on the child's genital area.
During the nine-month hearing, Mwenda denied the allegations, claiming he was innocent and had been framed. However, State Counsel Kelvin Maina urged the court to ignore these claims and impose a severe sentence.
Magistrate Nyigei noted that the girl was only one month shy of her fifth birthday and had positively identified Mwenda as her attacker. She wondered what would motivate the girl to frame Mwenda and sentenced him to life imprisonment, citing the severity of the crime and the impact on the young victim.
