Kenya Stockholm Blog

Brother Of Jailed Kenyan Speaks To KSB

An elder brother of a Kenyan who was recently jailed for allegedly infecting a Swedish girl with HIV virus has questioned the validity of the sentence. Speaking to KSB, the brother said that he was in court and that according to evidence adduced, the girl cheated his brother about her real age before the couple went to bed.

The brother told KSB that the lady has a big body and that although she is currently sixteen, it is not possible for someone to believe that she is under age. “She looks big and mature”, he said.

The brother, who chose to remain anonymous for the sake of protecting his younger brother’s identity, told KSB that he was surprised that the Judge ignored evidence that was given by a Swedish virologist who confirmed to the court that it could not be ascertained that the strain of the virus the lady was carrying was the same strain his brother was infected with.

According to the brother, the Swedish Professor told the court that HIV virus contracted through blood transfusion behaves differently from that transmitted through sexual intercourse. The brother is disappointed that the court did not take further steps to compare the strains of viruses that were in the blood of both his brother and his accuser. He believes that if this test had been conducted, his brother could probably have been freed.

The brother concurred that circumstances surrounding the case were vague and that further investigations should have been conducted not just to clear the air but also to challenge the very foundation of the charge. He pointed out that his brother had not been found guilty of rape charges and that this was evidence that his accusers had not been truthful.

He told KSB that he did not support people transmitting HIV knowingly and hoped that members of the Kenyan community will take advantage of the case to test themselves. He also thanked Wakenya who have been praying for his brother together with a group of Kenyan Christians who recently gave his brother a bible.

“It will soon be possible for people to visit my brother in jail. What Kenyans and friends need to do is simply to book time with the prison authorities”, he said.

He said that his brother is open for visits as soon as this is possible and asked Wakenya to keep a high standard of morality despite the tragedy that had struck his family.

The HIV positive Kenyan was arrested more than a month ago and charged with raping and infecting two Swedish women with HIV virus. He was jailed for three years and ordered to pay a fine of Ksh 8 million in compensation to a 16 year old Swedish girl he allegedly infected with the HIV virus. The Kenyan’s lawyer has said that he will file an appeal against the sentence.

Okoth Osewe
 

August 29, 2007 Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis | Leave a Comment