By Robert Mutasi 
A 60-year-old man has been charged in an Eldoret court with defiling a 4-year-old girl in two separate incidents earlier this month.
The suspect denied the charges when he appeared before Resident Magistrate Daniel Sitati.
According to the first count, the man intentionally and unlawfully defiled the child on June 7, 2026, in the Marura Soko area of Kimumu Location, Moiben Sub-county, Uasin Gishu County. He pleaded not guilty, telling the magistrate, “It’s not true your honour.”
The second count alleges that on June 8, 2026, in the same area, he intentionally and unlawfully touched the girl’s private parts.
Sitati ordered the suspect to remain in custody pending a bail hearing.
Separate Gang Rape Sentencing
In a separate case, Senior Principal Magistrate Kesse Cheronoh sentenced Benson Simiyu to 12 years in prison after convicting him of gang rape and committing an indecent act with an adult woman.
Cheronoh ruled that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to prove the charges under the Sexual Offences Act. Simiyu was found guilty on one count of gang rape contrary to Section 10 of the act and one count of committing an indecent act with an adult contrary to Section 8(a) of the Sexual Offences Act of 2006.
The offenses occurred on Jan. 15, 2025, in the Lower Colombo area of Turbo, Uasin Gishu County. Prosecutors said Simiyu and an accomplice who remains at large waylaid the victim, identified in court as S.M., around 9 p.m. as she walked to a shop to buy food items for dinner.
The men hit her on the head with a metal rod, causing her to fall and bleed profusely, according to court testimony. They stole her mobile phone and 1,600 Kenyan shillings before sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious, the court heard.
The victim testified that one attacker wore a jacket and had sparse hair. She said the men left her in a secluded field. Good Samaritans later took her to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment. She reported the assault the next day at Baharini police station and received a P3 medical form.
Simiyu pleaded not guilty during the trial. In mitigation before sentencing, he asked for leniency, saying it was his first offense, he is the firstborn and sole breadwinner in his family, and the mother of his youngest child died shortly after giving birth.
Cheronoh acknowledged the mitigation but said the nature of the crime left her no discretion.
“The accused committed a heinous act against the complainant,” she said. “He severely assaulted the complainant, stole from her and proceeded to rape her together with another assailant. … The sexual offence act gives a mandatory sentence and my hands are tied.”
Baraka Simba