Chinese man jailed 10 years for touching minor inappropriately on flight to Nairobi

A Chinese national has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment after being found guilty of touching a teenager inappropriately.

Li Jianjun was found to have committed the indecent act on a 17-year-old child on December 7, 2025, while onboard a China Southern Airlines flight.

According to the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Jianjun intentionally touched the private parts of the minor with his right hand, against her will.

In her testimony, the minor said that she felt someone touching her leg outside her clothes while she was asleep at around 4am.

The court also heard that Jianjun touched her private parts, opened her trousers' zip, and put his hand inside.

“Li is sentenced to 10 years in prison. The time starts to run from the date of his arrest, and upon completion of his prison term, Li is to be repatriated back to his country by the Immigration Department,” Njeri Thuku, Senior Principal Magistrate at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport court, ruled.

The magistrate found that that the prosecution proved its case against the accused person beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court heard that the accused had traveled to Kenya to repair machinery in a shoe factory and arrived aboard a flight operated by China Southern Airlines on December 7, 2025. He had boarded the flight in the evening from Hunan Chang province after checking in around midnight.

In his defence, the accused blamed the tight space of the seats in the plane and said he felt squashed.

“It was also in his defence that he slept during the flight and denied touching anyone inappropriately,” Thuku noted.

The court believed the testimony of the minor, who it noted is still traumatised by the incident.