Kilifi pastor sentenced to 30 years in prison for defiling 15-year-old cousin

A Kilifi pastor has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was convicted of defiling his 15-year-old cousin twice and impregnating her.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said the case came to light after the girl became pregnant several months after the second incident.

Her mother reported the matter to police, after which the girl was taken to hospital where the pregnancy was confirmed.

A government analyst later presented DNA evidence showing a 99.9 percent probability that the pastor was the biological father of the child.

The offences occurred on separate dates between June 2023 and February 2024. The girl was 15 at the time and testified in court in June 2024, when she was 16.

She told the court that the accused was her cousin and a pastor at the church where she worshipped.

According to her testimony, the pastor first invited her to join him and his wife for fasting and prayers for spiritual cleansing in mid-2023. She accepted the invitation without suspecting that she was in danger.

She later asked to return home to have her hair plaited, but the pastor asked her to remain at his house and have it done there. She was given supper and slept in a room with his two children.

The girl told the court that she was later woken up when the pastor and his wife entered the room. She said the wife covered her mouth to prevent her from calling for help as the pastor defiled her.

The pastor allegedly threatened to kill her if she disclosed what had happened. She returned home the following morning traumatised but did not tell her mother about the incident.

About two weeks later, the pastor followed her and persuaded her to return to his home for prayers and fasting. He told her the prayers would prevent her from marrying a non-Christian after completing school, following a vision he claimed to have received.

They first fasted and prayed at his church before he invited the girl and another girl to his home for evening tea. He later sent the other girl home, leaving the complainant behind for special night prayers.

The pastor then defiled her for a second time while she was asleep with his children, the court heard.

In his defence, the accused initially denied the offence but later admitted having sexual intercourse with the minor. He claimed he had been coerced and did not know her age.

Chief Magistrate James Mwaniki dismissed the defence as baseless and an afterthought.

The pastor was convicted of defilement contrary to Section 8(1), as read with Section 8(3), of the Sexual Offences Act, 2006.

In his judgment, Mwaniki said the prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Winnie Atieno Otieno, had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and established that the accused had acted without lawful justification.

“I find merits in the prosecution’s case on the principal charge of defilement. The accused person is hereby sentenced to serve 30 years imprisonment,” Mwaniki ruled.

The court directed the convict to exercise his right of appeal against the conviction and sentence within 14 days.

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