Bomet, Kenya | By Michael Wandati | In a development stemming from a widely circulated video depicting a gang-rape incident, a Bomet court has granted detectives a 14-day extension to detain seven suspects implicated in the case.
Resident Magistrate Mbeti Michuki of the Bomet Law Courts approved the request made by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer Jefferson Mwithi, allowing the police to continue holding the suspects for further investigation.
In the application, Mwithi said he intends to charge the suspects with rape.
The suspects were arrested on Thursday 11, April 2024 and taken to the Bomet Police Station after a distressing video, recorded in December 2023, surfaced and circulated widely on social media.
The footage, trending on social media as “Sigor Boys,” shows the men in a dimly lit room taking turns to sexually assault a woman, who is heard screaming for help.
Also Read: Seven suspects in shocking Kenya gang rape video arrested
The release of the video sparked widespread condemnation from various organizations, including the Bomet Girl Guide Association, led by Chairperson Dorine Chepkirui. Chepkirui urged investigating agencies to thoroughly pursue all involved parties, emphasizing the need for accountability.
Former Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Bomet Chairperson Sally Kirui echoed similar sentiments, expressing concern over the erosion of societal values illustrated by both the recent incident and a similar one that occurred last year in Chepalungu sub-county.
Gang rape attracts a life sentence in Kenya.
The law says any person who commits the offence of rape or defilement in association with another or others, or any person who, with common intention is in the company of another or others who commit the offence of rape or defilement is guilty of an offence termed gang rape.
They are therefore said to be liable upon conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than 15 years but which may be enhanced to imprisonment for life.
