Mombasa Reverend charged with defilement

A pastor in Mombasa has been charged with defiling a four-year-old girl.

Mombasa Holy Ghost Church Pastor Gordon Ponge is accused of luring the girl to a secluded place behind the church, where he was allegedly caught red handed defiling her.

Ponge was released on Sh300,000 bond after he denied defiling the girl in the church compound on July 25, 2014.

Police say the girl was taken to hospital where doctors confirmed in their report that she had been defiled.

The case, which is before a resident magistrate in Mombasa Law courts, is coming up for hearing on today when the State is expected to call witnesses to give their testimony.

Among those expected to testify are church members and the girl's mother.

The cleric

And an Anglican pastor is fighting for his freedom in Taita Taveta after he was accused of  defiling a primary school girl.

Reverend Dishon Mghalu Mwakaya of Wumari Anglican Church Bura denied the charges before the immediate former Wundanyi Acting Principal Magistrate Isaac Orenge when he first appeared in court. 

Alternative charge

The prosecution was led by former Chief Inspector Sammy Ombogo. The accused was represented by Voi-based lawyer Duncan Mwanyumba.

He was charged that on September 13 last year at Zare village in Mwachabo he defiled a juvenile aged 10 years. The accused also faced alternative charge of touching the girl's private parts.

He failed to raise a cash bail of Sh100,000 or bond of Sh100,000 with a surety of a similar amount and was remanded at Wundanyi GK Prison.

He was later released after his colleagues raised the bond. The charges against the accused aged 79 are contrary to Section 8 (1) as read with Section 8 (2) of the Sexual Offences Act. The case will be heard on June 24 this year.

a 2010 national survey-Prevalence of Sexual, Physical and Emotional Violence -indicated that nearly one in three Kenyan girls under the age of 18 experiences sexual violence.

While on a visit to Vihiga County in March last year, a county worst hit by the scourge of defilement, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga termed the problem a "burgeoning defilement crisis".

Dr Mutunga said in 2014 some 6,101 defilement cases were filed in court, in addition to the 7,727 cases recorded the previous year.

"Defilement is emerging as a challenge of endemic proportions," the Chief Justice said.