Two women were Monday, February 13, charged in a Mombasa court with failing to report the defilement of a five-year-old minor.
Bahati Juma Said and Mwanakombo Ramadhan allegedly conspired to obstruct the course of justice by failing to report the minor’s defilement to the police.
The court heard that the minor, who is the suspects’ niece, was left under their care by her mother who had travelled to Saudia Arabia in search of greener pastures.
While under their care, the suspects’ brother – 21-year-old Said Salim – defiled the minor on several occasions but the two sisters never reported the matter to the police, the court was told.
The sexual abuse was brought to the attention of the police by the minor’s teacher who noticed she had difficulty walking.
The teacher called the minor’s guardians to accompany them to hospital, but they alerted the suspect who went into hiding in Tanzania.
“On February 6 this year at Msikiti Noor area in Likoni Sub County within Mombasa County, the two jointly conspired to prevent the course of justice by not reporting to police a case of defilement of a minor aged 5 years and aiding the perpetrator to escape,” court papers read in part.
Appearing before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku, Bahati Juma Said and Mwanakombo Ramadhan pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defeat justice.
The court released the suspects on a Sh 200,000 surety bond with an alternative cash bail of Sh 100,000. The case will be mentioned on 27th February 2023.
