A deputy Headteacher has been jailed for 28 years following his conviction for defiling a 13-year-old pupil at a private school in Thika.
In a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Wednesday, January 28, the prosecution confirmed that Mr. John Kamau Wachiuri was found guilty of violating Section 8(1) as read with Section 8(3) of the Sexual Offences Act.
The court established that Mr. Wachiuri committed the offense against the minor within the school compound, grossly abusing his position of trust and authority over the learner.
However, on the scheduled judgment date of February 27, 2025, the accused failed to appear in court. Despite multiple mentions and unsuccessful attempts to secure his attendance, Mr. Wachiuri continued to evade justice.
On December 3, 2025, the prosecution applied to the court seeking to have the accused sentenced in his absence. Senior Resident Magistrate Hon. D. Milimu granted the application, ruling that an accused person cannot escape justice by deliberately absconding from court proceedings.
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The court subsequently convicted Mr. Wachiuri and handed down a 28-year prison sentence in absentia.
In another significant victory, the ODPP has secured a landmark conviction in a human trafficking case after a Lamu court sentenced a middle-aged woman to either a Ksh30 million fine or 30 years in prison for trafficking a 16-year-old girl for exploitation.
Resident Magistrate Hon. Flavian Mulama found Diana Akinyi Simiyu guilty of trafficking in persons contrary to Section 3(1) as read with Section 3(5) of the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act, 2010, after the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case, handled by Prosecution Counsel Ahmed Omar Mohamed, presented compelling testimony from seven witnesses who detailed how Simiyu deliberately lured, transported, and harbored the minor from Thika to Mpeketoni in Lamu County through deception and manipulation.
Evidence presented in court revealed that the accused took advantage of the teenager's vulnerability following family disputes, promising her employment and a better future.
Simiyu orchestrated every aspect of the journey, providing pocket money, giving strict instructions to avoid detection, and ensuring the minor traveled under a false identity.
In his ruling, Hon. Mulama stated that the accused "conceived and executed the plan" to traffic the child, noting that the evidence overwhelmingly established her sole responsibility for the crime.
