SIMIYU: THE Maswa District Court in Simiyu Region has sentenced Mussa Shija (33) to 20 years in prison and Hollo Shija (35) to 30 years in prison for committing incest and living as husband and wife for over six years despite being blood relatives.
The pair are residents of Mandang’ombe Village in Maswa District.
The sentencing, delivered on August 14, 2024, by Senior Resident Magistrate Enos Misana, follows the revelation that the accused had a child together in 2022.
In criminal case number 26634/2024, the prosecution, represented by Assistant Police Inspector Vedastus Wajanga from the National Prosecution Office in Maswa District, alleged that the offenses occurred on various dates between 2018 and July 31, 2024, in Mandang’ombe Village.
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Wajanga informed the court that Mussa and Hollo Shija, siblings born of the same parents, had lived together as a couple and had a child in 2022.
The charges against them included engaging in sexual relations with a close blood relative (incest) in violation of Section 158(1)(b) and Section 160 of the Penal Code, Chapter 16, as amended in 2022.
The accused pleaded guilty but claimed they were unaware of the legal implications of their actions.
They argued that they were persuaded by their paternal grandfather to marry to preserve family traditions.
Following their guilty plea, the court sentenced Mussa Shija to 20 years in prison and Hollo Shija to 30 years in prison for their crimes