Lamu granny wails before DPP Haji over brother’s rape case
A 66-year-old grandmother burst into tears before Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji during his visit to Lamu, beseeching him to intervene in a rape case involving her brother.
Winnie Aboya Jilo, a resident of Lamu Island, said her brother Abdallah Ali Mohamed, 57, was unfairly sentenced to 30 years in prison at the Shimo La Tewa Maximum Prison in Mombasa.
Mrs Jilo said her brother was handed the sentence by a Lamu court after being convicted of raping a woman in Lamu town three years ago.
Holding a bunch of documents, which she claimed proved her brother’s innocence, Mrs Jilo calmly approached the DPP and handed him the papers and then started wailing uncontrollably.
She alleges that her brother was framed by one of their brothers over a land dispute.
“He was framed and as a family, we know Abdallah didn’t do it. This is a pure witch-hunt from one man towards his brother. Abdallah tried to stop his brother from grabbing land belonging to orphans and that’s how he was framed for rape and thrown into prison,” Mrs Jilo said.
She said she had reported the matter at various offices, including the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) in Mombasa but nothing had happened.
She said she had planned to visit the DPP’s office in Nairobi but was glad that he was in Lamu.
“God has brought you here for a reason. Kindly help me. I had planned to visit you in Nairobi and talk to you one on one over this matter, but I’m glad you’re here,”
“I beg for assistance so that my brother can get justice. He is 57 years old and has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He is suffering in prison. This whole thing is a total witch-hunt.”
Mr Haji promised to look into the matter.
“Just be calm. I will have a look at all this paperwork and see where we can go from there. Just be patient,” he said.
