Tourists come with promises of helping the poor and vulnerable but end up sexually abusing young girls
• Last Friday, US citizen Gregory Dow was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually abusing young girls at an orphanage in Bomet.
• Mombasa county children's coordinator Philip Nzenge blames weak community system for sex tourism.
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Image: FELIX KIPKEMOI
Some tourists come to Kenya promising to help poor and vulnerable families.
In villages ravaged by poverty, no one would dare turn away a philanthropist, as they are initially thought of. And for target beneficiaries, it is a heaven-sent opportunity to unshackle themselves from the chains of hardship.
However, as time goes, their lives become hell on earth. The tourists reveal their true colours, turning against families and their young ones.
Even though such cases are common at the Coast, they are not unique to the region. Similar incidents have been reported in other parts of the country.
The foreigners take advantage of families' poverty and easily turn them into their prey, molesting young ones.
Last Friday, US citizen Gregory Dow was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was convicted of sexually abusing young girls at an orphanage in Bomet.
Dow pleaded guilty in the US to four counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in Kenya.
The orphanage, which was partly funded by churches in Lancaster county in Pennsylvania, was in operation for almost a decade, before Dow fled the country in 2017 when the allegations of sexual abuse surfaced.
The allegations came to light after two girls who stayed at the orphanage escaped and shared their stories with villagers.
A statement by the US attorney’s office said Dow’s wife had the victims undertake birth control pills, giving Dow freedom to continue with his crimes without fear of impregnating the victims.
It remains a mystery how Dow managed to open such a centre in the country, despite having a criminal record. In 1996, he had pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, for which he was put on two-year probation and ordered to register as a sex offender for a decade.
Dow is not the only one on this. In 2018, a British national was sentenced to 18 years and six months after he was found guilty of four counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault, three counts of assault by penetration, and two counts of perverting the course of justice at Leeds Crown Court.
Keith Morris, a 72-year-old pensioner, was accused of sexually abusing two young girls after luring them to stay with him at a hotel between 2016 and 2017.
Combined investigations between UK’s national crime unit and the Kenya police uncovered a serial sexual abuser stretching back to over 20 years when Morris started visiting a small village in Kilifi.
He pretended to support families ensnarled in poverty, establishing himself as a trusted figure in the community. In 2016, he attempted to become the legal guardian of eight children in the village.
Even though the courts rejected his application, it was supported by local families. He was later arrested in 2017 when he landed back to the UK.
How he was able to cover up his cruelty for more than two decades remains a mystery which was later uncovered by a fellow Englishman who witnessed him spend a lot of time with girls aged 10 years and below in the Coast region.
Another case in Kenya involves Osman Elsek, a Turkish national facing nine counts of sexually abusing young girls. The charges included promoting child prostitution and defilement between February and October 2018. He was also accused of compelling two girls, both aged 15, to massage his private parts against their will.
The Turk was accused of indecently touching the girls. He is also accused of getting hold of one of the girls with intent to perform indecent acts with her and using his influence to defile them. The accused allegedly promised to adopt the girls and give them a better life. That was never to be.
Mombasa county children's coordinator Philip Nzenge blames weak community system for sex tourism. He said the community, instead of protecting children, embraces paedophiles whom it mistakes for saviours. And even when it realises that their conduct is unbecoming, no complaints are lodged, Nzenge said.
“The community, especially families, protect sex predators in exchange for a good life. They fail to report abuse on children and turn a blind eye to this vice,” he said.
Nzenge said Kenya has some of the strongest laws that protect children against sex tourism, but some government agencies fail in their mandates, thus making room for sex pests to run amok.
