Naivasha: Man jailed 20 years for raping 80-year-old granny

Joseph Gitahi was found guilty of raping the old woman at her Mwiciringiri home in Kinungi area after he raided her home at wee hours of October 13, 2022.

Gitahi, who works as a security guard at Kahawa West in Kiambu County, is said to have done the heinous act two days after burying his father in their Kinungi family home, which neighbours the victim's homestead.

The court heard that the convict had, on several occasions, tried to avoid breaking in and sexually assaulting the woman and had been on the community radar for years.

On the fateful night, Gitahi is said to have approached the victim's homestead, where he dug a hole to gain entry into the house and ambushed the lady during her long slumber at 2:00 am.

The man is then said to have used the woman's head scarf to mouth fold her. He then sexually molested her and threatened to kill her if she leaked any information on the ordeal before he disappeared into the darkness.

According to Nathan Lutta, the presiding magistrate, the prosecution presented four witnesses and argued its case beyond a reasonable doubt with evidence adduced in court, placing the accused at the centre of the scene.

Lutta said the court had sentenced the accused to 20 years in jail for sexually assaulting the 80-year-old woman sexually contrary to sections of the Sexual Offences Act (2006).

The court granted the convict 14 days to lodge an appeal.

On her part, the woman lauded the court decision to imprison the man for 20 years behind bars, noting that the man had tried on several occasions to break into her house, where she lives alone.

She said the man had spent one year in jail after a similar incident in her home, but was abruptly released with no explanation given, and would later continue his criminal acts.

She said the man's attempt to grab a torch after the assault exposed his face and would report the matter to the area head of Nyumba Kumi before the police conducted more investigations.

According to Father Jude Otogo from the Regional Centre for Healthy Ageing, the conviction sounds a warning to perpetrators of violence and a warning against older persons in the community.

Otogo said for years, the elderly have faced multiple incidences of sexual abuse, physical assault and neglect, with the majority of cases being unreported to authorities for legal actions.

"The sentencing is a welcome move to tens of elderly people who continue to face abuse, violence and neglect in the community and who have been suffering in silence for years with their abusers going scot free," said Father Otogo.

He regretted that in Kenya and the world, one in every six older persons has suffered from incidents of abuse, either physical or sexual, as well as violence and neglect in their communities.

He also called out local solutions through Kangaroo courts in cases involving abuse and violence against older persons, noting that the move curtailed fair access to justice for selfless victims.