'Pastor' accused of defiling his daughters pleads guilty
Cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) have been on the increase in the country since March 2020.
A man accused of sexually abusing and impregnating his two under-age daughters on Tuesday pleaded guilty to two charges of incest.
The man, said to be an Akorino ‘pastor’, committed the offences between June 2019 and August 2020 in Ndia Constituency, Kirinyaga County.
The 51-year-old stunned the public when he admitted that he had sex with his daughters, believed to be 14 and 16 years old.
"It is true I slept with my daughters," he said when the charges were read to him by the court clerk.
Consequently, Senior Principal Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi entered a guilty plea against the accused.
The man, who was taken to court under tight security, was unrepresented.
Birth certificates
The Baricho court conducted proceedings under a tree at the nearby Baricho police station to ensure physical distancing, which is one of the requirements for curbing the spread of Covid-19.
Prosecutor Patricia Gikunju urged the court to have the man locked up to allow acquisition of the minors’ birth certificates to ascertain their age.
"We are yet to be furnished with the birth certificates. We need time to get the documents," Ms Gikunju said.
The magistrate granted the prosecution's request and ordered the man taken back to Sagana police station until Thursday. He added that the accused will use the time to reflect on what he said while taking the plea.
Missing for weeks
The accused had been on the run since last December but was flushed out of his hideout in Mbeere South on Sunday and taken to Sagana police station.
He disappeared immediately he learnt that police were looking for him in connection with the sexual offences.
Reports indicate that one of the girls has given birth while the other has about three months to go.
Relatives said the man warned the minors of dire consequences if they reported him.
Recently, two Woman Representatives led a major demonstration demanding the arrest and prosecution of the accused.
Kirinyaga’s Wangui Ngirici and Uasin Gishu’s Gladys Shollei said they will not rest until justice is served.
The MPs said that the lives of the two primary school children were destroyed by a man they described as evil and dangerous.
They said defilement cases are on the rise in the region and asked police to protect children and punish the criminals
