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A Kilifi court has sentenced a 32-year-old barber, Mwakombe Katana Karisa, to 15 years in prison after convicting him of raping a 21-year-old student in Kasameni Village in July 2024.
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The conviction was supported by eyewitness testimony, medical evidence, and DNA analysis linking the accused to the crime.
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The court emphasized the seriousness of sexual offences and the need to protect vulnerable members of society while granting the convict 14 days to appeal.
A Kilifi court has sentenced a 32-year-old barber to 15 years in prison after convicting him of raping a 21-year-old student in Kasameni Village, Kilifi County.
The court found Mwakombe Katana Karisa guilty of the offence, which occurred on the morning of July 10, 2024, as the student was walking to school.
During the trial, the prosecution established that the convict, who was armed with a knife and a bottle, accosted the student, threatened her, strangled her, forcibly removed her clothes and sexually assaulted her.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), an independent witness encountered the victim shortly after the attack, noticed that her school uniform was soiled, and received her immediate report that she had been raped.
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The prosecution presented medical evidence confirming a recent sexual assault, including injuries consistent with the victim’s account. Forensic examinations also detected spermatozoa on exhibits collected during the investigation.
Further, DNA profiling conclusively matched biological material recovered from the exhibits to the accused, corroborating the complainant’s testimony and placing him at the scene of the crime.
The case was prosecuted by Principal Prosecution Counsel Winnie Atieno Otieno, who presented evidence that the court found sufficient to prove the accused’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
In delivering the sentence, the court underscored the gravity of sexual offences and stressed the need to protect vulnerable members of society while ensuring justice for survivors of sexual violence.
The convict was granted 14 days to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.
By Frank Mugwe
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