- 22-year-old Mercy Mwende, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence, says her life changed after she met a man on Facebook shortly after finishing high school.
- The two kept in touch, developed a romantic relationship, and later met during a trip to Elburgon, which resulted in his arrest.
- The young woman revealed that she is still trying to appeal her case, noting that she is worried her life is being wasted in prison
A 22-year-old woman from Londiani has told how meeting a young man on social media led to her imprisonment until the year 2037.
Source: Youtube
Mercy Mwende said it all started when she got a phone call after finishing her high school education.
He was happy to start using social networks, especially Facebook, where he met a young man who sent him a message.
Speaking to Simon Kibe on Jamba TV, Mercy said she and the young man continued to communicate and even started a romantic relationship.
“We met face to face much later, when my friend and I went to Elburgon for a photo shoot with other friends. He came to spend time with us, but in the evening, when we wanted to go home, we couldn’t find matatu,” he said.
The prisoner said the young man gave him and his friend his place to sleep that night and left the next morning.
“We arrived at his house at night, and it was a nice place. My friend slept in one room, while I slept in another room with him. In the morning, he woke up early, got dressed and woke me up, saying he was going to help his mother in her food stall,” Mercy said.
Why was Mercy Mwende arrested?
He said the young man left with a promise to call later to ask about their condition. However, a few minutes before one o’clock in the morning, he got up to leave, but was surprised to find that the door was locked from the outside.
“Then we heard an old woman, who we later found out was his grandmother, outside sweeping the compound while calling her. I answered and asked her to open the door for us. When she opened it, she started shouting, calling the neighbors,” he said.
That’s when Mercy realized that she and her friend were sleeping in the house of a young boy who was still in school.
The grandmother’s screams attracted the neighbors, and her friend ran away after fearing trouble.
“I was taken to the police station, and later the boy was brought. I was surprised to see him wearing a school uniform. I didn’t believe he was a student. My friend was also arrested later, and we were accused of raping a child,” he said.
Mwende noted that after he was released on bail, the two families tried to resolve the matter outside the court, as the boy admitted that he was the one who searched for him through Facebook.
“We gave them money, but his grandmother kept demanding more and more. When she asked for 300,000 shillings, we could not afford it as a family. Later I was sentenced to 20 years in prison. My sentence ends in 2037,” he added.
The young woman said she is also trying to appeal her sentence.
Laikipia man imprisoned until 2076 speaks out
In other news, a Laikipia man jailed until 2076 recently insisted he is innocent.
Wambugu said his problems started after a dispute with a cousin of the family who had hired him as a farm worker in Nyeri.
Later, a dispute over a cup of tea landed him in prison.
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