Oklahoma Missionary Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison For Sexually Abusing Children In Kenya

Nothing is sacred! Every day, all around the world, there are missionaries who leave their privileged lifestyles in an effort to help those in need. There have been plenty of volunteers who visited the Upendo Children’s Home in Kenya to help neglected kids, but none were like an Oklahoma missionary named Matthew Lane Durham.

In 2014, Durham was back at the school volunteering for the fourth time. Things were sketchy from the moment Durham arrived. Volunteers are all asked to stay with sponsor families away from the school, but he specifically requested to be placed on-site so he could be in a "better position to assist the children," according to court records.

Other caretakers also became suspicious of how Durham was acting with the children. His lingering embraces made them uncomfortable, but when he was repeatedly caught laying in bed with them at night, that was enough for officials. They took his passport from him while figuring out what to do, but they returned it to him within a few days. Noticing that things were starting to heat up, Durham jumped ship and immediately caught a plane back home to Oklahoma.

“A caretaker at the orphanage noticed something wasn’t right and confronted Mr. Durham. He admitted to some of the acts,” said United States Attorney Sanford Coats.

“The victims are believed to be both boys and girls between the ages of four and nine, at least one of whom is HIV positive," stated the affidavit.

Durham's attorney, Stephen Jones, admitted that his client did confess, but it was coerced and he only did so because he wanted to get his passport back.

Prosecutors believe that during his 33 days at the orphanage, Durham “raped three girls — ages 5, 9 and 15 — at least eight times,” adding, "During that same time period he sexually molested a 12-year-old boy twice.”

The 21-year-old was sentenced to 40 years in prison for "engaging in illicit sexual contact in foreign places." The community in Nairobi where the school is located has been shaken from the incident. Now they worry that there are other pedophiles lurking as volunteers waiting to abuse the children. The school is funded by an American who recruits volunteers from the church community in Oklahoma.

Now that the community is suspicious of foreigners coming to volunteer at the school, I just hope that doesn't deter people from going to help those little children who are in desperate need to love and nurturing. 

Durham was acquitted of charges that he planned on abusing the children before leaving the United States. His attorney plans on appealing the conviction.