I forgive you, man in fake rape charge tells wife, daughter
Bernard Gitau and Zadock Angira
Julius Wambua, the man who was condemned to rot in jail after his daughter “framed” him for defilement, finally walked out of Kamiti Maximum Prison a free man yesterday afternoon.
At the gate, tears of joy flowed freely as Wambua hugged his daughters and a son among other relatives who had come to receive him after his incarceration.
His first words were of forgiveness to those who were behind his wrongful imprisonment especially his estranged wife.
“Anyone who was involved in my predicament of life imprisonment, I forgive you.
My wife Jackline Nzelani, I forgive you from my heart. Now that you know I am out of prison, being the mother of my children, just come and seek for forgiveness,” Wambua said.
The visibly shaken Wambua said he was ready to bury the hatchet with his wife and let bygones be bygones so that they could rebuild their home.
Hell on earth
He also took the opportunity to forgive his daughter, Dorcas Mwende for coming out and recanting her statement, and also his younger daughter, Anastacia Mukulu who corroborated Mwende’s statement that their mother coerced them into fixing him.
“I was serving the sentence with a clear conscious that I had not committed any offence.
I was ready to serve, but often prayed for one thing, that if I do get a chance to see my daughter here on earth, I would wish to see her in heaven and have a word with her,” he said. He equated the over 3,285 days he spent in prison to “hell on earth.”
“Life in prison is like hell. I thank God for setting me free,” he said. He narrated that once he made peace with his soul that prison was his destiny; he did not stay idle.
He got involved in various activities in prison. “I got into a prison workshop, in the leather section and attained Grade One leather section certificate, Theology among other short courses,” he said.
With only a green carrier bag that contained his certificates, Wambua asked Kenyans to offer him assistance to rebuild his life.
Her daughter, Mwende could not control her tears, terming the day as her best. “I am free now. I have been on judgement knowing my father is innocent but remained in prison.”
With all said and done, Wambua headed to his brother, Peter Musyoki’s home in Kitengela to chart the next course of action.
Fresh trial
Wambua’s sentence was quashed on Wednesday by High Court judge George Odunga and ordered that he be released on a cash bail of Sh30,000 pending a fresh trial, should the prosecution deem it necessary.
Odunga said Article 50 of the Constitution only provided for a new trial and ruled: “I hereby order a new trial be undertaken should the DPP deem it viable in the circumstances of the case.”
Offence was alleged to have taken place at their home in Mamba sub-location in Yatta, Machakos in April 2011.
In a classic case of miscarriage of justice, where a suspect is convicted and punished for a crime he did not commit, Odunga ruled that the mother extracted the evidence, which was the basis of the conviction, through coercion and threats with the assistance of the police.
