A 31-year-old school driver has been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Eldoret Court after he was found guilty of defiling a three-year-old girl.

The accused Bernard Mutai was convicted of defilement under Section 8 (1) as read with Section 8(2) of the Sexual Offences Act No 3 of 2006.

Senior Principal Magistrate Kesse Cherono, while delivering the verdict, noted that the findings stem from the seriousness of the sexual offences against children. Cherono observed that the punishment was intended to serve as a deterrent at a time when cases related to defilement were on the rise.

The accused committed the crime of defiling the girl on May 8, 2025, at Katuiyo village in Ainabkoi subcounty, Uasin Gishu County.

He denied the charges levelled against him, arguing that the charges were trumped up. In his defence, the convict told the court that the girl was asleep in the school bus he was driving as he dropped off other learners at their respective homes on the fateful day that he is alleged to have defiled her inside the vehicle.

The minor belonged to a drama group at a private academy institution located in the area.

According to the Magistrate, the convict acted in a heinous manner by defiling a child and injuring her so badly that she needed emergency medical attention to save her life.

“The minor was deeply traumatised by the heinous act and had to be rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret for medical examination and later taken for counselling to help her cope with the trauma.

Cheronoh said the incident left the victim, her family and the local community deeply traumatised. A medical examination that was conducted on the minor at MTRH in Eldoret confirmed the sexual assault on the girl.

“The fact that the minor identified the convict in court during the trial left no doubt that he was the one who defiled her since he was well known to her,” the magistrate ruled.

The prosecution lined up seven key witnesses who testified in the case against the convict and placed him at the scene of the crime. The court heard that the convict defiled the girl in the school bus after dropping off other pupils at their respective homes on the evening of the material day.

After committing the offence, the convict is said to have driven her to her home and asked her to disembark before warning her not to tell anyone about the incident.

The court was told that the convict was pursued and arrested by angry members of the public the following day after the minor revealed the incident to her grandmother as a result of the severe pain she endured.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Ekuwam Sylvester