Bungoma court has sentenced a 38-year-old man, Job Wafula Lukhale, to life imprisonment after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) successfully proved a case of defilement against him.
Senior Resident Magistrate Hon. M.A. Onyango delivered the ruling on Thursday, finding Lukhale guilty of defiling a four-year-old PP1 pupil at Myanga village on December 14, 2024.
“The prosecution has proved the three ingredients of the offense of defilement, and I proceed to convict the accused,” ruled Hon. Onyango.
According to testimony, three witnesses positively identified Lukhale after he was caught in a thicket with the minor. Their evidence, which went unchallenged during the trial, directly linked him to the crime.
A pre-sentencing report presented in court revealed the devastating impact of the assault on the young child. The victim continues to suffer abdominal complications and emotional trauma, while her mother testified that the ordeal has left her daughter deeply scarred.
“My child is not the same again. She wakes up at night crying, and the pain she suffers in her stomach has never gone away,” the mother said tearfully in court.
The prosecution team, led by Wycliffe Minishi, Grace Gachau, and Recheal Karani, called seven witnesses in total. Their detailed presentation of evidence and sensitive handling of the case ensured justice was served.
This conviction comes amid a series of similar rulings across the country. In Mombasa, another man was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for defiling a six-year-old girl, while in Nakuru, the Court of Appeal upheld a life sentence for a man who attacked an 11-year-old in 2016.
The ODPP hailed the Bungoma ruling as another firm step in protecting Kenya’s children from sexual predators. “This judgment reaffirms our unwavering commitment to ensure that those who prey on minors face the full force of the law,” said a representative from the ODPP.
Kenya’s Sexual Offences Act prescribes a mandatory life sentence for defilement where the victim is under 12 years old. Courts have consistently maintained that such penalties reflect the gravity of the crime and the need to deter offenders.
The Bungoma judgment sends a strong message that perpetrators of child sexual abuse will face the harshest punishment possible.
