Benard Mogaka Okero: Minnesota-Based Kenyan Nurse Convicted of Sexual Misconduct

A Kenyan immigrant in Minnesota has been linked to two separate criminal cases, one involving the attempted murder of his wife and another involving the sexual assault of a teenage colleague at a care facility.

In August 2018, Emily Kwamboka was found unconscious at a petrol station in New Brighton after what prosecutors described as a violent domestic assault. Her husband, Benard Mogaka Okero, was arrested soon afterwards and charged with attempted murder by strangulation, first-degree assault and related offences.

Kwamboka suffered serious injuries to her face and neck and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. The couple were well known within Minnesota's Kenyan community.

Kwamboka's mother later said the attack followed years of alleged abuse during the marriage. She told reporters that relatives had repeatedly tried to intervene but claimed Okero's behaviour became increasingly violent. 

Her account reflected concerns that cultural and social pressures within some immigrant communities can make it more difficult for victims of domestic abuse to seek help. A second criminal case brought Okero back before the courts several years later. 

In October 2022, a Minnesota jury found him guilty of gross misdemeanour fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct following allegations involving a teenage nursing assistant. The incident took place in November 2021 at an assisted living facility in Red Wing, where Okero worked as a registered nurse. T

The 16-year-old told the court that he touched her inappropriately while they were alone in a resident's room. Okero denied the allegation and said any contact was accidental. The jury cleared him of a related assault charge but convicted him of sexual misconduct. 

During the trial, jurors also heard evidence from another former nursing assistant about a separate alleged workplace incident in 2020. The testimony was admitted under Minnesota's Spreigl rule, which allows evidence of previous acts to be presented in limited circumstances.

After the conviction, Okero failed to attend his sentencing hearing in December 2022, leading the court to issue a warrant for his arrest. He was arrested in March 2023 and later sentenced to 364 days in jail, with credit for time already served. He appealed the conviction, arguing that prosecutors had acted improperly during their closing arguments, but the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected the appeal and upheld the conviction.