A section of leaders in Embu County is calling for an urgent review of Kenya’s sexual offence laws, claiming that current provisions unfairly punish young men and deny them a chance for rehabilitation.
The leaders, under the Boy Child Justice Alliance, argue that mandatory sentences for offences such as defilement and rape have created a legal imbalance that disproportionately affects young male offenders.
Speaking to the media in Embu on Thursday, January 8, the group said that while the laws were enacted to protect minors and victims of sexual abuse, they have, in some cases, led to excessive punishment for youthful offenders involved in consensual relationships among peers.
Elias Njeru, the chairman of the Boy Child Justice Alliance, urged Parliament to review the Sexual Offences Act and introduce reforms that recognise the complexity of youthful relationships.
“If possible, Members of Parliament should sit down and re-examine some of these laws that have oppressed the boy child for too long,” Njeru said.
The Boy Child Justice Alliance Chairman noted that Kenya’s defilement laws, which prescribe life imprisonment for sexual relations involving minors, fail to distinguish between cases of coercion and mutual consent among teenagers.
Njeru added that the lack of flexibility in sentencing often destroys young men’s futures by sending them to prison instead of correctional facilities.
Outside Embu Prison, prison officials reiterated similar concerns, revealing that a large portion of inmates are young men convicted under the Sexual Offences Act.
John Kanyugi, the deputy officer in charge of Embu Prison, said defilement offences account for a significant number of long-term sentences.
“If you look at those serving here, most are young men. The most common offence that has burdened them is defilement, and the sentences are extremely long,” Kanyugi explained.
This advocacy campaign comes a few days after a Kajiado court sentenced a middle-aged man to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of defiling an 11-year-old boy, highlighting the necessity as well as the extreme nature of the Sexual Offences Act.
As of late 2025, a bill was introduced in parliament seeking to amend the Sexual Offences Bill to prohibit out-of-court settlements for sexual offences, while another proposed bill by the Kenya Women Senators' Association (KEWOSA) would require offenders to pay financial restitution to victims in addition to serving jail time.
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