A Nakuru bishop accused of defiling a 16-year-old girl member of his church was on Thursday acquitted by a Nakuru court.
Senior Resident Magistrate Judicaster Nthuku said that the prosecution did not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
“He might have defiled the girl but the complainant took two years before it was reported to the police which led to missing out on crucial evidence to convict the accused,” said Nthuku.
Bishop Daniel Lubanga of Christ Chapel Church based in Kaptembwa was accused of defiling the girl on diverse dates in January 2009 and January 27, 2011 when the minor was staying with him at his home.
The court said it can not know when exactly she was defiled between the alleged dates since she had not been threatened by the bishop.
"The time and dates of the incident have not been proved despite the medical examination showing that she had an old broken hymen," she said
The minor is a member of his church and he allegedly offered to take her to school.
Lubanga in his defense said that the defilement charges against him were fueled by rivals who had land feuds with his church to spoil his name, he said the minor and her mother called the church elders to apologies to him.
However the court said Bishop Lubanga is a terrible liar to say that the minor and her mother apologized to her because the minor maintained in her testimony that she was caressed and touched by the bishop when his wife was not at home.
“It is too bad that an entire bishop swears under an oath using a bible to proof how a terrible liar he is, the meeting conveyed was for both parties to save the name of the church not for apology of the girl and her mother to be heard,” she said.
The court said that the probability of Lubanga having defiled the minor is high but the evidence given does not meet the threshold required to proof a criminal case.