A Kwale man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for defiling a 12 year old girl in March 2025.

Resident Magistrate Ruth Ogolla found Jackson Waweru Mwai alias Kibaki guilty of defilement on 5th February 2025.

The magistrate ruled that the prosecution had presented credible, consistent and corroborated evidence linking 20 year old Mwai to the offence.

“The Prosecution has demonstrated that the accused person endangered the life of the minor during the incident,” Hon. Ogolla ruled.

The court heard that the accused found the minor playing in the school field when he forcefully grabbed her and covered her mouth with a piece of cloth suspected to have been laced with drugs before taking her to his house.

The minor is said to have lost consciousness during the ordeal, and upon regaining awareness, she realized that the accused was still defiling her.

According to the ODPP article on X, her cries attracted the attention of a passer-by, who raised an alarm and alerted members of her family.

The victim’s sister testified that she was the first person to arrive at the scene after hearing the alarm and told the court that upon forcing her way into the house, she found the accused defiling her sister.

She added that Mwai attempted to use the minor as a shield, but she managed to rescue the child and positively identify him.

According to the report, the girl was immediately taken to a local hospital, where she received treatment and the medical report produced in court supported the prosecution’s case and confirmed injuries consistent with defilement.

In his defence, Mwai denied the charges, claiming that he was merely playing with the child when her sister stormed in the house.

It was his testimony that he had no intention to harm the girl and tried to portray the incident as innocent.

However, the magistrate dismissed his explanation, describing it as unbelievable and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution.

The court emphasized that the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offence and the need to protect children from sexual abuse.

“The court noted the rising cases of sexual offences starting that the conviction sends a clear message that the law takes crimes against minors very seriously, and offenders will face stringent penalties.

Mwa was charged with defiling the girl on 8 March 2025, at in Kinango Village, within Kwale.