A candidate for the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) has been released after serving a seven-month prison sentence for a crime he claimed she did not commit.
Ann Makena was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of Ksh100,000 for selling illegal goods at a liquor store.
Makena maintained her innocence after her release on Friday, April 8, claiming that his only fault was his innocence towards her boss.
Makena was released from Waita Women’s Prison in Mwingi, Kitui County, after a human rights group increased his bond fees.
“Makena and her mother are the faces and names that look like injustice. She was in court when the daughter was being sentenced, but she did not have the money to pay the fine,” lamented Redempta Mwikali, an activist.
Stella Njoka, her mother, was overjoyed at the acquittal of her daughter. He expressed his gratitude to God and the group for reuniting him with his daughter, noting that he had almost given up in his pursuit of justice for his daughter.
“I am very grateful to God and those who responded to my plea for help. Thanks to well-wishers, my daughter has been released,” Njoka said.
Makena claimed that she was duped by her boss, who asked her to admit the charges in court, promising to pay the surety.
She also accused the police officers of forcing her to meet the demands of her boss.
“For me to plead guilty, I was under pressure from police officers. He asked me to confess, saying that many people who had confessed to their guilt had been released on bond by their employers.
“I did as instructed and was sentenced to three years or an optional fine of Ksh100,000. After that, my boss and the officials who persuaded me to take up the petition were nowhere to be seen, and I was imprisoned, Makena said.
The 22-year-old said the misfortune happened when she was trying to raise funds for her university education. She is now back at home in Kiyani, Tharaka Nithi County, and hopes to resume her studies.
