Man sentenced to 20 years for defiling Grade 7 pupil in Garissa

A Garissa court has sentenced a man to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of defiling a 13-year-old Grade 7 pupil whom he allegedly lured from her home before taking her across two counties.

The sentence was handed down by Senior Resident Magistrate Njoki after the court found the accused guilty of defilement under the Sexual Offences Act.

“The man was found guilty of the offence of defilement contrary to section 8(1) as read with section 8(1)(4) of the Sexual Offences Act No. 3 of 2006,” read a statement by the  Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The court heard that the offences were committed between February 6 and March 11, 2026, in Garissa and later in Lamu County.

According to ODPP, the accused approached the girl after she had been sent to a nearby shop by her aunt in Garissa's Ziwani area.

He allegedly took the minor to the Millimani area in Garissa before moving her to Witu in Lamu County, where she was repeatedly defiled.

The court heard that the locations where the girl was taken were linked to the accused's relatives.

Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested the suspect on March 13, 2026, bringing the girl's captivity to an end.

During the ruling, Magistrate Njoki acknowledged that the accused was a first-time offender with no previous criminal record and imposed a 20-year term.

The convict was given 14 days within which to appeal the sentence.