This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
Published on June 8, 2020, a 25-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for defiling his eight-year-old niece in a case that highlights the severity of incest.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the man's plea for mercy, ruling that defilement, especially against a person's own relative, is uncouth and unacceptable.
Appellate judges William Ouko, Asike Makhandia, and Jamila Mohammed stated that sexual relations between an adult and a child are 'perverted and wrong,' and that the psychological consequences of incest are even more damaging when it involves family members.
The judges also noted that incest sparks strong emotions in many cultures and communities around the world and is largely regarded as a taboo.
The man, identified as JMM, was charged with defiling his niece on June 27, 2012, after luring her to a thicket and lying to her that he would help her fetch firewood.
The Appellate Judges dismissed the appellant's claims that the girl's testimony was incredible, ruling that she was courageous and truthfully narrated the incident without fear.
