This archive report was first published on 10 August 2019.
On February 10th, 2019, a horrific incident occurred at Seefar Apartments in Nairobi, where two Kenyan rugby players, Alex Olaba Mahaga and Frank Wanyama, gang-raped an upcoming singer.
According to a statement recorded with the police, the victim attended a party in Nairobi's Kilimani area where the two rugby players were present. She claimed one of the two rugby players was her friend and after a night of merry-making, she went to their house with them.
The victim alleged that the two took advantage of her intoxicated state and raped her repeatedly after refusing to take no for an answer. She got pregnant after the incident.
On August 9th, 2019, the prosecution asked the court to consider the psychological torture the victim went through and sentence the two to over 15 years in prison. It further submitted that the girl was still young when the rape happened.
However, the defense argued that the complainant was 24 years old and should have 'guided' the two rugby players (aged 23 and 22) since she was mentally mature. It further noted they were all drunk at the time of the offense.
The defense pleaded with the court to consider the ages of the accused persons, adding that they come from very humble backgrounds. They also asked the court to hand them a noncustodial sentence to allow them to pursue their rugby career and education.
