Rise in case of incest shocking and worrying

Dear Harold,

The increased media reports on incest are worrying. The society is rotten as fathers are taking advantage of their biological daughters or step daughters well below the age of 18 years. I am aware of mothers, even in upmarket areas in Nairobi, who are suffering in silence as their husbands take advantage of their daughters. The mothers prefer not to let the cat out of the bag in fear of societal stigma or they may be kicked out by their hubbies who are the sole bread winners. Can such randy fathers be sent to prison where they belong?

Janet, Nairobi

  Dear Janet,

Yes. Fathers who have sexual intercourse with their daughters risk spending their lives in jail as per the Sexual Offences Act. There are reported cases of fathers who have been imprisoned for impregnating their under-age daughters. There have been such cases in our courts recently and these rogue dads have been sent to jail. Mothers who opt for silence should understand the damage they cause is irreparable as such abuses affect the lives of the victims forever. The law further forbids intercourse with close blood relatives like granddaughters, sisters, mothers, nieces, aunts or grandmothers. Even attempting intercourse with a close blood relative amounts to attempted incest which attracts over ten years imprisonment. Women are also not off the hook as similar laws will apply when they dive between the sheets with their male relatives.

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