Father's eight-year quest for justice for defiled daughter

By Vitalis Kimutai

He has been threatened, arrested, detained, and at one stage, had to flee from home, fearing for his life.

But these tribulations did not dampen Paul Rotich’s resolve to pursue justice for his daughter, who was scarred for life after she was defiled.

The girl still has little control over her bladder and has a manifest phobia for men.

Paul Rotich, fought for justice for his daughter.

This has negatively affected the girl’s education and reduced her to a subject of ridicule amongst her peers.

The girl was aged only five when the sexual assault took place in November 2002 at Cheptago village in Nandi South District.

"Despite the fact that she is now 12 years old, she still wets her bed and is ashamed of herself," Rotich says bitterly. "But she has no control over it."

Former Kapsabet Principal Magistrate John Njoroge sentenced the rapist, Jackson Kibiwott Langat, to serve 10 years in prison with hard labour, after being convicted of the offence.

Langat initially fled his home to avoid arrest, but he was nabbed when he returned after five years.

But Rotich viewed the sentence as too lenient, and took it upon himself to file an appeal in the High Court.

Rotich’s search for justice lasted eight long years, but he was tenacious.

Last month, Rotich was vindicated as the courts enhanced the sentence.

Rotich shed tears of joy when Eldoret High Court Judge Lady Justice Philomena Mwilu, enhanced the sentence to 50 years.

Life Imprisonment

While reading the judgement, Mwilu said the lower court’s sentence was far too lenient since, at the time, the law provided for life imprisonment with hard labour for offences against children under the age of 16.

"Corrective surgery on the victim has not been successful and no amount of medication has restored her full health," Mwilu observed.

"In fact, it is my feeling that the suspect was rewarded for the offence by the lower court. But it is not too late to correct the anomaly," Mwilu added.

Of the suspect, the judge said: "He destroyed a young girl’s life for self-gratification and did not bother to appeal against sentence as he knew he had gotten away with it," Mwilu expounded.

The accused had given unsworn evidence and did not call any witnesses.

He is reported to have alleged he was framed over claims he had a love affair with the girl’s mother. The minor had been sent to a neighbour’s house by her grandmother when she was lured into a house and defiled by the accused around 1.30pm.