A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was convicted of trafficking and defiling a 16-year-old girl.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Kilifi Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa convicted Godfrey Memba on charges of defilement contrary to Section 8(1) as read with Section 8(4) of the Sexual Offences Act No. 3 of 2006, and trafficking in persons contrary to Section 3(1) as read with Section 3(5) of the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act No. 8 of 2010.
Hon. Obulutsa heard that between 12th 2025 and 4th May 4 2025, Memba engaged in a scheme of grooming, abducting and sexually exploiting the minor after meeting her during a church service on the outskirts of Kilifi town.
Prosecution told the court that Memba met the girl at New Life Church in Mavueni where he seduced and groomed her before persuading her to run away from home with his two young children after ensuring her grandmother was out of sight.
ODPP says the court further heard that Memba then ferried the minor and the children from Mavueni to Mombasa, where he harboured and cohabited with her, repeatedly engaging her in sexual exploitation.
The matter came to light after the girl’s family reported her missing at Chasimba Police Station before the case was escalated to DCI Kilifi North.
Prosecution Counsel Ridhwan Mohamed told the court that during the period, the minor’s father received extortionist text messages demanding money for the girl’s return.
Digital profiling showed the phone number was registered to the convict and DCI officers tracked and arrested him at Repentance and Holiness Church in Mombasa.
The minor and the children were rescued with six prosecution witnesses testifying, including the minor, a doctor, and the arresting officer.
In his determination, Hon Obulutsa ruled that prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that all key legal ingredients were established.
He also found that the convict recruited, transported and harboured the minor for sexual and financial exploitation.
On trafficking, the trial Chief Magistrate held that Memba used seduction to lure the child from her grandmother’s custody and moved her across counties.
The text messages demanding money were cited as proof of financial exploitation.
The trial court dismissed his defence as “weak and contradictory” with no explanation on why the missing minor was found with him in Mombasa.
While sentencing, the court cited the age of the victim and the aggravated nature of defilement combined with trafficking.
He was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment with the court granting him 14 days to appeal both the conviction and sentence.
