Family disputes grandmother's 15-year sentence in Bungoma defilement case

Judith Simiyu, an elderly woman from Bungoma, is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence at Langata Women's Prison after being convicted of defiling her seven-year-old grandson. Her family maintains she did not commit the offence and has raised concerns about how the case was investigated and handled in court.

According to her family's account, Judith spent years helping raise her grandson after her daughter, Vivian, invited her to live in Mombasa and assist with childcare. She later returned to her home in Bungoma, but in November 2024 travelled to Nairobi at Vivian's request to attend prayers with a visiting religious leader. During that visit, a dispute involving a niece reportedly led to an accusation against Judith, after which she was arrested and later convicted.

Her family has questioned several aspects of the case, including the timing of the medical examination and the sequence of events leading to the accusation being made. They say Judith is now managing diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension while incarcerated, and are calling for the circumstances of her conviction to be re-examined.