Kwale Man Jailed for Life for Defiling Seven-Year-Old Child

-

By Caroline Katana 

A 25-year-old man, Athumani Juma, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for defiling a seven-year-old child in Vivalani village, Lungalunga Sub-County, Kwale County.

Msambweni Senior Principal Magistrate Leah Kabaria delivered the judgment online, finding Juma guilty of defilement contrary to Section 8(1) as read with Section 8(2) of the Sexual Offences Act.
The offence occurred on June 7, 2025, when Juma unlawfully subjected the child to anal sexual penetration, according to the charge sheet.

In her sentencing remarks, the magistrate cited a victim impact report showing that the child continues to suffer psychological distress more than a year after the incident, despite receiving medical attention.

The report indicated that the child has sleeping difficulties, withdrew from school activities and faced stigma from fellow children.,forcing the child to change school and move in with other family members.

The magistrate noted that the child still requires counselling, with no certainty about how long full psychological recovery will take.

Although Juma pleaded for leniency, noting that it was his first offence, the court found that the lasting impact on the child warranted a life sentence.

Juma was informed of his right to appeal within 14 days if dissatisfied with the judgment. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where Waste Becomes a Livelihood

-
Image
                                    Garbage collection centre By Caroline Katana. Under the morning sun in Mikindani , Mombasa county , Elvina Ziro bends over piles of discarded plastic, picking through the waste and separating what can still earn her a few shillings. Around her, wheelbarrows arrive carrying more rubbish from nearby households.  Plastic bottles are pulled from the piles and placed in one section, other recyclable materials in another.  What looks to an outsider like a mountain of unwanted waste is, for Ziro and others working at the site, a source of livelihood. For the mother of five, every bottle and piece of plastic has a value.                   Elvina Ziro Mikindani resident  She has been doing the work for three years, using the money she earns to put food on the table and keep her childr...
Read more

Kwale Women Seek Bigger Voice in Coastal Fisheries and Blue Economy.

-
Image
By Caroline Katana Women in Kwale are seeking a stronger foothold in the county’s fishing industry, with community and government actors calling for their inclusion in leadership, access to finance and decisions governing coastal resources. The push comes as a 42-month programme seeks to address barriers that have kept women and other marginalised groups from fully benefiting from the coastal economy in Kwale and Lamu counties. The Enabling Gender-Responsive, Circular, and Sustainable Blue Economies for Kenya Coastal Communities project began last year and will run until December 2028. It is funded by Canada under a joint United Nations programme involving UN Women, UNIDO, FAO and UNEP, with Hand in Hand Eastern Africa implementing the gender component. The programme is using community training, advocacy and engagement with government duty bearers to address inequalities affecting women’s participation in the Blue Economy. Stephen Mutua, Business Relationship Officer at Han...
Read more

Kenya Power Celebrates Customer Service Gains as Kwale Customer Base Hits 106,000.

-
Image
  Customer Service Week launch at Kenya power office Diani  By Caroline Katan Kwale County is set to make fresh spending decisions after Sh804 million in mining royalties became available outside its approved 2026/2027 budget, with residents pushing for the windfall to address pressing needs in their communities. The additional revenue, which includes the county’s share of royalties from Base Titanium, has prompted the county government to prepare a supplementary budget and seek residents’ views on how the money should be allocated. Speaking during the launch at the Kenya Power Diani office, Kwale County Business Manager Eric Momanyi said customer cooperation had also contributed to the protection of the company’s infrastructure.            Kwale County Business Manager Eric Momanyi He said Kwale had not recorded any cases of cable or transformer theft so far this year, attributing the achievement partly to residents who report sus...
Read more