Man Gets Life Imprisonment For Marrying A Ten-Year-Old Schoolgirl
A Narok court imposed a life sentence on a fifty-year-old man who pled guilty to defiling and marrying off a ten-year-old girl.
Saigulu Ololosereka, who appeared before Narok Senior Resident Magistrate Phyllis Shinyada, was charged with defiling a 10-year-old girl and marrying her in 2019.
Ms. Shinyada stated in her judgement that the man had been warned of the magnitude of the marriage after pleading guilty to the crimes, but he maintained that he had married the girl because he was given her by her parents.
“The offense committed is grave and barbaric. The last three years must have been the most horrific years for the victim,” said the magistrate.
The senior magistrate went on to say that the horrific act had irreversible physiological and physical repercussions because the young girl had had Female Genital Mutilation before she was married and afterwards had a caesarean section when she gave birth.
She remarked that the accused man exhibited no remorse even after being warned of the magnitude of the crime, insisting instead that the young girl he had been married to for three years was actually his wife.
In her ruling, the Senior Magistrate stated, “He merely asked for pardon and reinstated that he did not take the girl by force but the parents had handed her for marriage, meaning he feels entitled to have the girl as his wife.“
Ms. Shinyada stated that the prevalence of such offenses in a society where girls are swapped for livestock or other inexpensive items demands for a severe sentence that will serve as a deterrent to others with similar intents.
The magistrate underlined, as she sentenced the elderly man to life in prison, that she had taken into account the girl’s age, the fact that she was defiled to the point of being pregnant, and the fact that the man has been defiling the minor for the past three years.
She sentenced Ololosereka to life in jail for the first count of defilement and concurrent three years for the second count of early marriage.
Given the gravity of the crime, state counsel prosecutor Tito Wanga expressed satisfaction with the judgement.
However, the defendant was informed of his ability to appeal the case to a higher court within fourteen days if he was unhappy with the verdict.
Man Gets Life Imprisonment For Marrying A Ten-Year-Old Schoolgirl