Bunyala MCA Carlbenz Okonya was on Tuesday, September 26 arraigned and charged with defiling a 14-year old minor.
The MCA who was arraigned before the Busia Chief Magistrate, Edna Nyaloti, pleaded not guilty and will remain in custody pending determination of the matter.
"A member of the Busia County Assembly was today arraigned before the Busia Chief Magistrate, Hon. Edna Nyaloti for defiling a 14-year-old," the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said in a statement.
During the proceedings, the prosecution made an application to oppose bail and bond and requested the hearing be deferred for 14 days.
According to the prosecution, the two weeks will allow the witness protection agency to assess and place the victim and her family under protection even as investigations continue.
The MCA will remain in custody pending a ruling on the prosecution application to be delivered on September 28, 2023, where the court will give a verdict on whether to hand the suspect bail, a bond, or neither.
According to the Sexual Offense Act, Number 3 of 2006, a person who commits an act that causes penetration with a child is guilty of a defilement offense.
The Act further states that a person who commits an offense of defilement with a child aged eleven years or less shall upon conviction be sentenced to life imprisonment.
The MCA risks losing his seat if found guilty of the charges.
