Kilifi man jailed 25 years for defiling 13-year-old granddaughter

A 69-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment after a court found him guilty of defiling his 13-year-old granddaughter in Kauma Sub-County, Kilifi county.

In a judgment delivered at the Kilifi Law Courts, Principal Magistrate Ivy Wasike ruled that the evidence presented before the court sufficiently proved the offence against Ms Chivatsi Mundu beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court heard that on April 22, 2025, at Kauma sub county the accused unlawfully and intentionally abused the minor when he was drunk after sending her to fetch water.

"On that fateful day, you called the girl to bring you water in your room while drunk and you sexually abused her and ordered her never to disclose the incident’’ said Wasike, while delivering the judgement

The minor reported the incident to her mother, prompting her mother to take her to the hospital.

The matter was thereafter reported to the police.

The magistrate observed that the stiff penalty would serve as a deterrent to similar offences at a time when cases of defilement are on the rise.

The magistrate has also ordered the minor to receive psychosocial support after experiencing the traumatic incident.

The ruling comes at a time when, authorities are calling on members of the public to remain vigilant and to report cases of child abuse, following the killing of a seven-year-old Benerdict Keziah who was raped and strangled.

On Wednesday, Kilifi law court granted detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) permission to detain Alice Auma Omondi, the mother of the prime suspect in the defilement and murder of the seven-year-old.

Magistrate Wasike approved the application, allowing police to hold Auma as investigations intensify and efforts to track down the main suspect continue.

Authorities said Auma’s detention is intended to assist officers with information that could lead to the arrest of her son, who remains at large.

Keziah Mutaki went missing from her home on Sunday last week, sparking concern among residents.

Her body was later discovered dumped near their homestead in a case that has shocked the local community.

A postmortem report confirmed that the minor was defiled before being killed. Medical findings indicated that she was strangled, with a broken neck cited as the cause of death.