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Children's home director jailed for 100 years for defilement

Stephen Nzuki Mutisya

Stephen Nzuki Mutisya in the dock at the Milimani Law Cours in Nairobi.

Photo credit: Richard Munguti | Nation Media Group

The director of a children’s home who was convicted of defiling boys under his care has been jailed for 100 years.

Stephen Nzuki Mutisya, 29, was handed the long jail term by Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul, who said the act was beastly and inhuman.

Mutisya defiled the boys at a children’s home in Utawala estate in Nairobi between 2010 and 2016. “Boys and girls of tender age need to be protected by the court with all its mighty from such unkind human beings,” ruled Ms Abdula.

The magistrate said courts are empowered by the law to protect the vulnerable by issuing severe sentences against such men to serve as a lesson to those bent on violating the rights of children.

Mutisya, the court noted, had been entrusted to care for and guide the boys properly and impart good values as he had held himself out as a practising Christian.

“The accused is a wolf in a sheep’s skin. His actions have betrayed him. He misapplied and misquoted the holy scriptures to woo the victims into believing what he was doing to them was godly,” ruled Ms Abdul.

As a result of misleading the boys by quoting the Bible and abusing them sexually, the magistrate said, he went against his initial calling as a model for the boys from poor backgrounds.

Mutisya was found guilty of defiling the minors between 2010 and 2016.

Stephen Nzuki

Stephen Nzuki covers his face in a hoody when he appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul at Milimani Law Courts.

Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group

Sentencing Mutisya, the magistrate considered the recorded views of the victims, who had urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence.

"The court has considered the victims’ impact report which was filed before this court. The victims were grateful to the court, which convicted the accused,” Ms Abdul.

She added: “The victims asked this court to hand down a harsh custodial sentence."

She said the sentence should act as a lesson to deter others from such an offence.

When she convicted the accused late last month, the magistrate said Mutisya took advantage of the children while quoting Bible verses to them in a bid to convince them that his illegal acts were allowed in the Bible.

Ms Abdul said the rapist was positively identified by the victims during the trial.

The victims were below 10 years old.

The offences were committed at (Scream Africa Child Home and Vijiko School) in Utawala, Nairobi County.

Mutisya used to take the boys to his residence, serve them with food and drinks and share Bible stories before violating them. They were defiled at different times between 2010 and 2016.