The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has secured a landmark conviction against a 72-year-old man who was found guilty of defiling multiple minors and exposing them to pornographic material in Mombasa County.

Senior Resident Magistrate Hon. David Odhiambo, at the Mombasa Law Courts, convicted Kazungu Kalume Begande, the suspect, on five counts of defilement and one count of child pornography, stemming from the offences committed between the year 2022 and July 2023 in the Misifuni area of Likoni Sub-County.

The offences involved four minors aged 6,9,12 and 13 years.Consequently, the court sentenced Begande to three life imprisonment terms for defiling the minors aged 6, 9, and 12.

He was further sentenced to 30 years in jail for the defilement of the 13-year-old victim. According to the court, the sentences highlighted its firm stance against sexual offences involving children.

The accused, who was a neighbour to the victims, reportedly lured the children to his house under the pretext of watching television. Once inside, Begande exposed the minors to pornographic videos and went on sexually abusing them.

The children told the court that he would sometimes give them between Sh20 and Sh50 and threaten them to remain silent about the abuse.

Ten witnesses including the victims, their parents, medical practitioners and police officers were presented to the court by the prosecution. A clinical officer told the court that medical examinations revealed broken hymens, vaginal lacerations, discharge and other injuries consistent with defilement.

The magistrate noted that prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court also relied on a confession made by the accused himself at the time of his arrest before a senior police officer.

Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Begande denied the charges, claiming he had been framed following a disagreement over a debt with the mother of one of the complainants.

However, the court dismissed his defence and went on sentencing him.

The sentences reflect the gravity of sexual crimes and the court’s commitment to protecting children. It also serves both as a punishment for the perpetraror and a strong warning to all members of the public against child abuse.