This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, the day after a guilty verdict was delivered, the sentencing of two Kenyan rugby players convicted of gang rape was postponed to today.
The players, Alex Olaba and Frank Wanyama of Harlequin FC, were found guilty by Milimani Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku on August 8, 2019, of gang raping a female musician at Seefar Apartments in Highrise, Nairobi, on February 10, 2018.
While the defence lawyer, Jimmy Wafula Simiyu, prayed for a lenient and non-custodial sentence, the prosecution argued that the court should give the players a minimum of 15 years to serve as a lesson to youth who do not take sexual offences seriously.
Simiyu highlighted that the players have no criminal record, are young, and have a promising career ahead of them, while the prosecution noted that the complainant suffered in the hands of two men, despite being intoxicated.
