Man Jailed for 20 Years After Giving Neighbour’s Girl UGX 5,000

A 58-year-old farmer from Mumias in Kenya’s Kakamega County has opened up about the painful experience of spending 20 years behind bars for a crime he insists he never committed, saying a small amount of money he gave to feed hungry children was wrongly interpreted and ultimately cost him his freedom.

Basil says he has always maintained his innocence, arguing that what he believed was a simple act of kindness became the central piece of evidence that led to his conviction.

He recalls growing up in Kakamega, where he completed his primary education in 1988. In 1993, he relocated to Nakuru in search of employment and worked as a bread supplier for several years before returning to his village around 2000.

After returning home, Basil says he purchased land, started farming, established a small business, and settled down with his family. He believed his life was finally moving in the right direction.

However, everything changed after a neighbour asked him and his wife to temporarily care for his children while travelling to visit his sick mother.

According to Basil, the two families had known each other for years and trusted one another, making the request seem ordinary. The couple agreed to look after the children until their father returned.

The following day, Basil says he checked on the children and discovered they had only taken tea in the morning and had nothing to prepare for lunch.

Searching his pockets, he found only KSh200, which is approximately UGX 5,000, and handed the money to one of the girls. He instructed her to buy two eggs, prepare a meal for the younger children, and return with the remaining balance while he continued working on his farm.

Basil says he never imagined that the money would later be presented in court as evidence against him.

According to his account, prosecutors argued that the KSh200 was not intended for food but had allegedly been given to the girl after he sexually assaulted her.

He has consistently denied the accusation, maintaining that the money was solely meant to ensure the children had something to eat while they were under his care.

Despite his defence, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

Basil says the conviction robbed him of two decades of his life, separating him from his family and denying him opportunities he can never recover.

Now a free man, he says he still struggles to understand how a gesture he believed was compassionate resulted in him spending 20 years behind bars.

His story has since generated widespread discussion in Kenya, with some questioning how the evidence in the case was interpreted, while others argue that the court reached its decision after considering all the evidence presented during the trial.

For Basil, however, one memory continues to haunt him: the UGX 5,000 he says was meant to buy eggs for hungry children but which he believes changed the course of his life forever.