A Narok court has convicted a 50-year-old man for marrying and defiling an underage girl.
Saigulu Ololosereka will spend the rest of his life in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of marrying a ten-year-old girl in 2019 and defiling her.
In her ruling, Narok Senior Resident Magistrate Phyllis Shinyanda noted that the man was warned of the magnitude of the charges after pleading guilty. Still, he maintained that he married the girl after an agreement with her parents.
“The last three years must have been the most horrific years for the victim,” magistrate Shinyanda noted.
The magistrate added that the arranged marriage had a permanent physiological and physical effect on the minor as she underwent Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) before she was married off and later a caesarian session when giving birth.
Further, magistrate Shinyanda on Wednesday said the accused was not remorseful even after he was warned of the magnitude of the offence.
“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,” the magistrate said.
The court sentenced Saigulu Ololosereka to life imprisonment for the first count of defilement and three years for the second count of early marriage which he will serve concurrently.
State counsel Tito Wanga expressed satisfaction with the sentence.
Ololosereka was afforded a right to appeal the verdict within 14 days.
