Kisumu chief denies raping class six pupil for hours
A chief in Kisumu County on Tuesday denied repeatedly raping a 14 year-old orphan for seven hours on Sunday.
Mr Michael Odhiambo Oluoch, the South West Seme location chief, is alleged to have committed the heinous act from 9 am to 4pm at Kogundo village in Seme Sub County of Kisumu.
The chief administers a location in which villagers say that one of his predecessors was lynched for allegedly raping another minor.
The minor is a Standard Six pupil at Ranen Primary School. She was headed to church on the fateful day when she was allegedly duped by the chief that he wanted to send her to a shop.
Appearing before principal magistrate Dolphin Okundi on Tuesday, Mr Odhiambo denied raping and indecently touching the minor on Sunday June 7.
BOND DENIED
Prosecution opposed efforts by the chief’s lawyer Edwin Lugadiru to have his client released on bond as they awaited hearing.
“My client brought himself to court and is ready to abide by any terms of bond. We ask the court to grant him this request,” Mr Lugadiru told the court.
However, the prosecution said that granting the chief bond would derail their case.
“The accused is the chief of the area and a neighbor of the victim. Unless the victim is allowed to testify today, we want to tell the court that we fear the accused might interfere with witnesses by using his privileged position,” the prosecution told the court.
Magistrate Okundi agreed with the prosecution and directed that the minor testifies at the Maseno Court at 2 pm before the bond can be granted or denied.
On Monday, residents of Kogundo village stormed Kombewa District Hospital where the accused and the minor had been taken for medical examination demanding to see the chief.
PARADE
Accompanied by Seme sub-county children officer Beatrice Auma, the locals demanded that the chief be paraded brought before them.
“We want him taken before the cameras and shown for what he really is,” one of them was heard shouting as the tens of villagers milled at the hospital to get an eye of him.
However, their efforts were thwarted by the police who whisked him away in a police car and in the process denying the media a chance to take a shot of the accused.
Later, the chief was taken to the police station where he spent the night before being arraigned in court on Tuesday.