Madrassa teacher accused of defiling 13-year-old girl granted bond

Wooden gavel. [Photo/GettyImages]

A Muslim cleric accused of defiling a 13 year-old- girl has been granted Sh300,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount.

Eldoret Senior Principal Magistrate Cheronoh Kesse gave Abdullahi Khalif the option of Sh150,000 cash bail after he pleaded not guilty to the defilement charges.

On diverse dates between October 20, 2025 and November 30, 2025 at Kambi Mwangi area in Turbo sub county within Uasin Gishum County, Khalif intentionally and unlawfully defiled the minor.

The accused is also facing an alternative count of committing an indecent act with the minor by touching her private parts.

Earlier on during the proceedings, the prosecution vehemently opposed his release on bond or cash bail arguing that he was a flight risk owing to the fact that his place of abode was not known.

“My worry is that the community where the madrassa teacher was residing was still baying for his blood in the event he is freed from custody. Am told they are still looking for him following the sexual assault on minor,” the prosecution stated.

However, the teacher’s lawyer Richard Warigi dismissed claims by the prosecution that the accused person was a flight risk noting that his place of abode was well known to the public.

Warigi told the court that the accused enjoys rights which are enshrined in the constitution, saying that the court ought to carefully consider that he is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

“From my little knowledge, the accused person is not a flight risk and has a fixed place of abode and there is no likelihood of him interfering with the witnesses set to testify against him as being alluded to by the state counsel, what prove do they have,” the lawyer added.

Warigi assured the magistrate that his client would present himself in court whenever needed and appealed to the court to consider while making its findings the principals laid out in the judicial bail and bond policy guideline of March 2025.

But in her ruling, Magistrate Kesse ordered that the matter be mentioned on January 29, 2026 for further direction.