NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 25 – Sleuths from the Directorate and Criminal Investigations (DCI) are investigating an incident involving a woman suspected of lodging a false rape complaint against an area chief in Londiani’s Kimasian location, Kericho County.
In a statement released on Thursday, the agency said the woman made the claim after her husband discovered that the two were involved in an affair further stating that detectives had uncovered messages between the chief and the woman suggesting they may have been involved in consensual sex.
“A woman only identified as Mercy is believed to have falsely accused her area chief of forcing himself on her, after her husband discovered that the two have been having a clandestine sexual affair since August,” the agency said.
The woman lodged a case at Londiani Police Station accompanied by her husband alleging that the area chief had stormed her homestead earlier in the day and ordered her out of the house after which he forced her into a nearby maize plantation where he raped her repeatedly.
Detectives probing the matter established that the two were lovers after probing the administrator whom they had detained.
“On the day the chief is alleged to have forced himself on Mercy, the two were in constant communication and had agreed to meet at their usual place,” the DCI said quoting a text message from the Chief which read, “Let’s meet (hapo mahindi yenu) at the maize plantation.”
The Chief is quoted as having texted back saying: “Nimekuwekea kitu tupatane (I’ve kept something for you) I give you.”
The message was in reference to an Mpesa transaction of Sh327 that the Chief had transacted in favor of the woman.
The woman’s husband is said to have stumbled upon the messages dating back to August sparking a confrontation in during which the woman claimed the Chief had raped her.
The DCI stated an investigation which included a visit to the alleged scene of incident revealed that the claims by the woman were inconsistent and unsupported by the facts.
“The investigators also retrieved Mpesa transactions detailing how the woman had been receiving money from the chief after every illicit encounter they had, since August,” the agency said.
“These among other revelations in the possession of our detectives, including how the woman’s husband tried to lay a trap for the chief by luring him to meet with his wife seriously cast doubt on the woman’s allegations that the Chief had indeed brutally dragged her into the maize plantation and forced himself on her,” the DCI added.
The agency cautioned members of the public against making false claims against individuals in regards to sexual assault.
“While the DCI encourages victims of any form of sexual abuse to make their reports for our immediate action, we equally caution the public against making false allegations against any individual, just to get back at them,” DCI warned.
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