A Kenyan mini bus driver and his conductor have been charged with sexual assault after stripping a woman and sexually assaulting her at a petrol station early this year.
The assault, sparked angry protests across Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, after a video of the incident, recording on a mobile phone was released to the public, apparently took place because the victims skirt was ‘too short’.
The attackers, Nicholas Chege and Meshack Mburu, who have also been accused of stealing the victim’s belongings, pled not guilty to two counts of robbery with violence and sexual assault. If found guilty the pair could face the death penalty, which is still legal in Kenya.
Since the attack, which took place on September 19th, there have been at least three other similar attacks of women ‘wearing mini skirts’ in the Nairobi area, one of which involved a police officer who tried to rip off a woman’s while travelling on the bus.
“There has been an increase in cases of assault and stripping of women, which has caused great public apprehension,” prosecuting lawyer Duncan Ondimu told The Nation.
