This archive report was first published on 6 January 2022.
On January 5, 2022, Senior Resident Magistrate Samuel Arome acquitted Fred Nyachae, a Nyamira Member of County Assembly (MCA), of defilement charges. Nyachae was accused of defiling a 17-year-old girl in 2019.
The court found that the prosecution failed to prove its case against Nyachae, citing inconsistencies in the girl's testimony. The girl had initially lied to her mother about her whereabouts, and her account of the alleged incident was also questionable.
Magistrate Arome stated that the prosecution's evidence was based on suspicion rather than concrete proof. He noted that the girl's testimony had gaps, including her inability to remember the exact location where she allegedly slept with Nyachae.
The court also questioned the credibility of the girl's evidence, pointing out that she had not sustained any injuries during the alleged incident. The prosecution's failure to produce sufficient evidence led to the acquittal of Nyachae.
Nyachae, who was running for the North Mugirango parliamentary seat at the time, welcomed the ruling, stating that it was a vindication of his innocence. He attributed the charges to a 'pure witch-hunt' instigated by his political enemies.
