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Sickly rapists dies

A 52-year-old old man accused of rapping and impregnating a 16-year-old girl has died before his day in court.

Julius Bogonko, who until his demise was a landlord in Machakos died on Tuesday of Kidney failure according to family members.

Bogonko was in August arrested and charged with defiling and impregnating a minor. Following his release under unclear circumstances a day after his arrest public outcry forced the police to take him to court to face justice. 

Police defended themselves, claiming the man had told them he was diabetic and had suffered a stroke, therefore, he could not survive police custody.

The quinquagenarian, however, pleaded not guilty and was granted Sh500,000 bond or Sh300,000 bail on August 31 at the Mavoko law courts. 

Disturbing dark history

As the family prepares to bury the old man, a disturbing dark secret is only coming out. Bogonko’s younger brother, Wycliffe Mayieka is also a rapist and on the run.  

The five-month pregnant girl defiled by the landlord has a sister who is also two-month pregnant and says Mayieka is responsible. An arrest warrant now hangs over his head after Police failed to apprehend him.

While the reasons for Bongoko’s despicable act may not be known a lot of sick sex superstions exits today.

A peek into the sick sexual cleansing ritual world

In western part of Kenya for instance women are fighting against “widow-cleansing”, a traditional ritual practiced by Luo ethnic communities.The practice involves women to have sex – often with strangers and their status not withstanding – when their husbands die.

Farm animals are not safe either and cases of men raping poor chickens and other animals following advise of witch doctors has been reported in Central Kenya.

In March this year, a 65-year-old man was charged at the Makadara Law Courts of committing the unnatural sexual act after raping his landlord’s chicken, resulting in the fowl’s death.

Two years prior, John Mwaura confessed to sleeping with 5 cows after he was caught pants down molesting a neighbour’s cow.

Paid to rape young girls by families to cleanse them

Sex superstition is, however, not relegated to Kenya alone. In 2016, the world reacted in shock after BBC aired a story titled “Stealing Innocence’ in Malawi,” which featured an old man bragging about being paid to sleep with more than 100 young girls and women, some as young as 12 years old.

Aniva who is locally referred to as a “hyena” man was being paid from $4 to $7 to  have sex with young girls as a way to ritually cleanse them after their first period. Some families would force the young girls by telling them they will get infections if they don’t have sex with the “hyena man.”

They would also consult the services of Hyena man after a woman procured an abortion or when she becomes a widow.

Down in South Africa, infants are not safe as some HIV+ men rape them believing a virgin will cure their HIV infection.

It’s not just men, however, who are rapists, women too are now on the prowl.

In 2017, Zimbabwean police issued a public warning of a group of women who targeted men and raped them at gunpoint or giving them laced drinks before harvesting their sperms for rituals.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Toobin, was fired this week by the New Yorker magazine after he started masturbating while on a staff zoom call. What a crazy world and even crazier times we live in.

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