A former pupil at the condemned Ugandan Martyrs Children home narrated before a Machakos court of how he was sodomised by a man who he had all along thought was a genuine friend.

The 12 –year- old boy was testifying in a case in which David Mutuku Katuku is charged with preying on eight boys at the charitable organization which has since been closed down by the government.

It is located in Kimutwa location, Machakos County.

The minor who was testifying in camera told the magistrate how he alongside other boys had all along known the suspect as a caring and loving man until the day he sexually assaulted him.

He said Katuku a former cook at the institution on numerous occasions used to lavish them with food after other children had left the dining room and later started asking him to visit the kitchen while alone.

“The cook used to invite me alongside other boys for a second helping every time we were about to leave the dining hall. One day as had become his habit, he requested me to visit the kitchen and because we had a good relationship I did not object,” he explained.

The boy disclosed to the court that it was after getting into the kitchen that the suspect told him to lie down on his belly before eventually sodomising him.

On her part, Principal magistrate Ann Nyoike said that she needed more time to hear from other witnesses lined up in the case including a medical report from the doctor who examined the complainant.

Katuku, was arrested in April this year after being on the run for weeks after revelations emerged that he had been preying on the boys at the institution for three years before one of the victims lifted the lid on his macabre sexual escapades.

He is currently in custody facing eight counts of defiling eight boys and an alternative charge of committing an indecent act with minors.

The offence is in contravention to section 8(1) as read with section 8 (2) of the Sexual offences Act acts no.3 of 2006 and contrary to section 11(1) of the sexual offences acts no.3 of 2006.

The 23-year-old suspect is alleged to have committed the offence between May 2018 and February 2019 at the Ugandan Martyrs premises within Machakos County.

He has however denied all the charges. The case will come up for mention on June 27 and further hearing is slated on July 23 2019.

- KNA/ Samuel Maina/ Dominic Mulei