Three men are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after false accusations of defilement, which led them to spend years in prison.
They say that life has never been the same again since they were convicted, claiming that society stigmatizes them.
Sammy Ndegwa Mugo, a 70-year-old man who lives in Mukurweini was sentenced to 20 years in jail for allegedly attempting to defile a nine-year-old girl.
Ndegwa had nearly spent two years when the High Court allowed his appeal after finding out he had been framed.
He narrated that on June 6, 2016, he was standing outside his gate when the girl he had allegedly defiled passed by. After some time, the girl's mother started screaming.
“She alleged that I was defiling the girl. I was confused. The villagers landed on me with kicks and blows. I suffered partial hearing and sight impairment. I also broke one of my fingers,” Ndegwa told Daily Nation.
He stated that all he had done is warn some children against passing by his farm because they were destroying fruits and coffee berries as they passed by.
The family stated they spent Ksh300,000 on the case.
In another case highlighted by Daily Nation, James Ndirangu from Ithekahuno village spent five years in prison after reportedly attempting to defile two schoolgirls.
It is alleged that on June 24, 2012, the 69-year-old man attempted to defile two schoolgirls aged three and nine.
The Nyeri Chief Magistrate, Wendy Kagendo, found that he had been falsely accused by the children's grandmother after he spanked them for picking avocados from his farm without permission.
In March, a man was freed by a Mombasa court after a girl confessed he had framed him for defilement.
Issuing the ruling, Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate Edgar kagoni found that the girl lied citing inconsistencies in her testimonies over the trial period which commenced in 2014.
"She contradicted herself multiple times on who actually defiled her and where the offense was committed," the magistrate stated.
