A Naivasha court has sentenced a 42-year-old man, Joseph Gitahi, to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of raping an 80-year-old woman at her Mwiciringiri home in Kinungi three years ago.
The court heard that on the night of October 13, 2022, Gitahi broke into the elderly woman’s house at around 2:00 a.m. after digging through a section of the structure to gain entry.
He then ambushed the woman in her sleep, gagged her using her headscarf, sexually assaulted her, and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident.
Gitahi, a security guard based in Kahawa West, Kiambu County, allegedly committed the crime just two days after burying his father in the same Kinungi village, which neighbours the victim’s homestead.
According to the prosecution, the accused had long been on the community’s radar after multiple attempts to break into the woman’s home.
The victim told the court that he had previously been jailed for a similar incident but was unexpectedly released, only to continue harassing her.
Senior Resident Magistrate Nathan Lutta said the prosecution had presented a solid case supported by four witnesses whose evidence placed the accused firmly at the crime scene.
He noted that the offence violated key provisions of the Sexual Offences Act (2006).
Lutta ruled that the gravity of the crime, the age of the victim, and the repeat-offender pattern justified the 20-year sentence. Gitahi was granted 14 days to appeal.
Speaking after the verdict, the elderly woman welcomed the ruling, saying she had lived in fear for years due to the man’s repeated attempts to break into her home.
She said it was only after he grabbed her torch while fleeing that she clearly saw his face and reported the matter to local Nyumba Kumi leaders, leading to the police investigation.
Father Jude Otogo of the Regional Centre for Healthy Ageing said the conviction sends a strong message to perpetrators targeting elderly people.
He noted that many older persons silently endure sexual abuse, physical violence, and neglect, with most cases going unreported.
“The sentencing is a welcome relief for many elderly victims who suffer in silence while their abusers walk free,” he said.
Otogo added that one in six older persons globally faces some form of abuse and warned against the growing use of informal ‘kangaroo courts’ that block victims’ access to justice.