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Man in incest case says DNA blood test is devil worship

Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 08:24 | By
Incest banner. PHOTO/Courtesy
Incest banner. PHOTO/Courtesy

A man amused a Nyahururu court yesterday when he said undergoing a DNA test was a kind of idol worship.

 Joseph Mureithi — who is accused of incest with his niece resulting in the birth of a baby — had been ordered by Nyahururu Senior Magistrate Vincent Kiplagat to undergo a DNA test to determine if he was the father of the child.

Mureithi told the magistrate he would not allow a sample of his blood to be taken for DNA testing, terming it idol worship. “Giving my blood out for testing is idol and devil worshipping, and amounts to sacrificing yourself to the devil. It’s even written so in the Bible,” he said.

Mureithi then took out a Bible from a bag he was carrying and attempted to read a scripture to the court. But the amused magistrate told him there was no turning back on DNA testing.

 “You are accused of committing incest and impregnating a close family member who is a minor. The test is to determine the paternity of the child,” said the magistrate as he ordered Mureithi to return the Bible to the bag. The magistrate said the accused had not convinced the court that DNA testing was idol worship, or that the court order was in bad faith. 

Carrying Bible

The magistrate caused laughter when he said: “DNA testing is done by people who are geneticists and are stationed at the Government Chemist. If they are going to sacrifice you, let them do so.” He ordered that the accused be remanded at Ngano Police Station and escorted to Kenyatta National Hospital for the tests.

  Mureithi is accused of defiling the Form Two student on December 16, 2020, in Lanet, Nakuru County, resulting in her pregnancy. A second count states that he committed an indecent act with a minor.

  He said:  “I have taken care of the minor since she was a toddler. I enrolled her in kindergarten and I have seen her go through primary school. There could be no way I would have defiled her. Her mother suffers from a terminal illness”. 

But the prosecution says it has several witnesses, including the minor.  

The case will be mentioned on February 14, 2023. 

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