This archive report was first published on 14 September 2019.
On September 4, 2019, Zimbabwean Buberry Bonnie Newman arrived in Kenya to finalize the paperwork for his wedding to his Kenyan girlfriend, Susan Bwan. However, the next day, he found himself behind bars, facing charges of defilement.
According to Newman, he had met Bwan on an online dating site five years ago, and their relationship had progressed well until his first visit in December 2018, when they met in person. He had planned to wed Bwan, invest in a project with her, and then return to the UK with her.
Upon landing at Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Newman was received by his fiancée and some children aged between 14 and 17 years. The children belonged to Bwan's friends and neighbors, who had made it a norm to visit her during school holidays.
However, police investigations later revealed that the allegations of defilement were false and made by a woman named Ms. Mutaiwua, who was a friend of Bwan's. Mutaiwua had alleged that Newman had defiled her daughter, who was among the children in Bwan's house on the night he arrived.
Police investigations later revealed that Mutaiwua had lied to fix the foreigner and fleece him. The police then decided to charge Mutaiwua instead, with false information maliciously made with intent to disadvantage the unsuspecting foreigner.
Ms. Mutaiwua and her daughter are also key witnesses in another case where Turkish tycoon Elsek Osman is accused of defiling a minor and committing indecent acts with three others against their will.
In his defence, Newman said it was impossible to defile the minor in the presence of the eight people who were in the one-bedroom house that night. He has since cancelled the wedding.
Ms. Mutaiwua is accused of committing the offence on September 4, 2019, and is currently out on bond after pleading not guilty. The hearing continues on October 22, 2019.
