Two men convicted in Kilifi for trafficking 14-year-old, face long jail terms

A Kilifi court has convicted two men for trafficking a 14-year-old girl for sexual exploitation, each fined Sh30 million or, in default, sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Principal Magistrate Ivy Wasike found Stephen Changawa Kahindi alias Kitsonyole and Stephen Katana Menza guilty of trafficking the minor for sexual exploitation, in a case prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Justice Wasike ruled that the prosecution, through Principal Prosecution Counsel Nancy Njeru, presented five witnesses, and proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

In her ruling, Magistrate Wasike also imposed additional sentences on the two convicts for related offences committed during the ordeal.

Kahindi, a hotel operator based in Ganze, was handed a further three-year sentence after being found guilty of conspiring to defeat justice and interference with witnesses, contrary to Section 117 of the Penal Code.

Menza received a 20-year sentence for defilement under Section 8(1) read with Sub-Section (2) of the Sexual Offences Act No. 3 of 2006.

He was also sentenced to an additional five years after being convicted of threatening to kill, contrary to Section 223(1) of the Penal Code, after he allegedly “brandished a knife and told the minor to remain silent or he would kill her during the ordeal.”

The court established that the offence occurred on diverse dates between February 7,2024 and July 10,2024 in Mwahera Location, Ganze Sub County, Kilifi County.

According to testimony presented in court, Kahindi lured the minor from her parents with promises of education and employment before handing her over to Menza in exchange for Sh1,000. Menza then transported the victim on his motorbike to Dzifahe, where she was abused.

The sentences will run concurrently, with Menza set to commence his term from March 25,2026, while Kahindi will begin serving his sentence from July 22,2024, the period they have been in custody.

In her judgment, Magistrate Wasike ordered that the victim continues receiving psychosocial support to aid her recovery from trauma and be linked to vocational and skills training to help rebuild her life after the ordeal.