Kenyan Priest Sentenced to Educate Clergy on Sexual Offenses Law

A Kenyan priest who had molested a 16-year-old girl has been definitively sentenced by the High Court of Nairobi with an exceptional judgment: Father Dominic Muli Nzioka will have to spend the next three years of his life, at least once a month, explaining to all his fellow priests the content and spirit of the law against sexual crimes passed by Parliament a few years ago. The judge who issued the sentence, Anne Ong'injo, explained that the clergyman's sermons must now contribute to educating the clergy present in Kenya on the current legislation to discourage any other criminal episodes. The sentence came after Father Nzioka had appealed the first-degree conviction to seven years, issued last June by a court in Mombasa. Now Father Nzioka will obviously be monitored to ensure he does not neglect the punishment by a priest from his parish and by the officers monitoring him since he is on probation. 'While on probation, the appellant is ordered to raise awareness among his faithful about the sexual offenses law one Sunday a month. At the end of the supervision period, the parish priest and the probation officer will present a report in court,' said the judge. The core of the Sexual Offenses Act in Kenya was passed in 2006 to limit cases of sexual violence. At the beginning of this year, the country's churches denounced a sharp increase in cases of abuse and femicides. According to statistics released by Femicide Count Kenya, there were 58 femicides between January and October 2022. In 2023, the organization has recorded at least 152 cases and since the beginning of this year to date 14 cases.