A casual labourer's drunken confession has landed him a 15-year prison sentence for defiling a 16-year-old girl.
The incident, which occurred in Mamba Village, Ndalani, Machakos County, took a dramatic turn when the accused, identified as Francis, openly boasted in a local club about impregnating the minor.
According to court documents, the girl's parents were unaware of the relationship until villagers overheard Francis's drunken admission.
The minor's mother testified that an elder, Muli, alerted her after Francis spilled the beans at a bar.
Upon confronting her daughter, the teen revealed that Francis had initially used force to defile her.
The matter was reported to the Mamba Police Post, leading to his arrest five months later in Yatta.
Despite Francis's appeal-where he claimed he believed the girl was 17-Justice Margaret Muigai upheld the magistrate's ruling, stating that his actions spoke louder than his excuses.
"He cooked his goose by confessing and then running away," Justice Muigai remarked, dismissing his appeal. "If he truly believed she was of age, why vanish?"
With DNA evidence confirming paternity and his own words sealing his fate, Francis will now spend the next 15 years behind bars.
In another bizzare incident, drama erupted at the Kibera Law Courts after a man already facing a defilement charge shocked courtroom attendees by allegedly stealing a prosecutor's phone.
Joseph Ombogo, who was out on bail, had accompanied his father to court to confirm the details of his upcoming hearing.
However, as proceedings continued, a prosecutor suddenly realised his phone was missing from his desk. In a frantic effort to retrieve it, he searched the courtroom but found nothing.
Determined to nab the phone thief, the prosecutor proceeded to review the court's CCTV footage, and what he saw left no doubt.
The footage clearly showed Ombogo stealthily picking up the device before slipping out of the courtroom.
With the evidence in hand, authorities sought the help of Ombogo's father, who was still within the court premises.
He was asked to call his son and persuade him to return. Unaware of the trap, Ombogo made his way back, only to be arrested.
Ombogo was arraigned again at the same court on Wednesday, April 2, facing fresh charges that could worsen his legal troubles.
