Judges in Kenya root for review of Sexual Offences Act to end unfair penalties

Justice Abida Aroni also defended her decision to release a 19-year-old boy who had been sentenced to 20 years in jail for defiling a 16-year-old girl, saying the jail term was unfair to the boy given that he committed the offence while he was still 16 years old.

NAIROBI: The minimum sentences for sexual offences continue to draw criticism from judges who want the law changed to allow them make independent decisions.

The judges' arguments are that the Sexual Offences Act has tied their hands and interfered with their discretion when determining the sentence to hand a suspect, even in cases where underage victims are the ones to blame.