NAIROBI, Kenya, July 7 – Two rugby players accused of raping a woman in 2018 were on Tuesday charged afresh after the High Court ordered their retrial one year after being sentenced to a 15-year jail term.
The two ex-Kenya Sevens players Frank Wanyama and Alex Olaba denied the charge of gang rape before a Milimani Law Court magistrate Zainab Abdul and were ordered to deposit a cash bail of Sh300,000 each to secure their release.
The presiding magistrate declined to allow the accused to use the previous cash bail of Sh100,000 and said the matter before her was under the new file.
They had been sentenced to 15 years in jail last year by Magistrate Martha Mutuku after they were found guilty of raping the upcoming female musician after attending a birthday party.
The two ex-Kenya Harlequins players have since denied committing the offense and maintained innocence.
Nairobi High Court last month ordered a retrial, as records did not show whether a key witness had been sworn in during the initial trial, which took place behind closed doors.
They will appear in court again on July 21 for a date to be set for the new trial.
Wanyama and Olaba, who were both university students when the incident took place, played for Nairobi Harlequins and for the national Sevens team in global tournaments.
