Suspects in assault case defend themselves

Eldoret,

Friday, 10 November 2023

KNA by Kiptanui Cherono

Four people among them a medical doctor and an employee of Kenya Ordinance Factory charged with attacking and assaulting Professor Wilfred Sawanda for disturbing the peace have defended themselves against the accusations.

The accused told Eldoret Principal Magistrate Rosemary Onkoba that neighbours of the complainant, were to blame for the attack against the Professor of Mathematics, whom they accused of bbeing a nuisance on his plot during night prayers.

The assault is alleged to have occurred during a night vigil organized by the don to pray for cleansing and to bless his newly acquired plot located in the outskirts of Eldoret town, the court was informed.

Enraged by the noise, the neighbours are said to have stormed the place and attacked the professor, who is also a pastor, accusing him of being a nuisance during the night prayer.

The accused were testifying in a case where they had been jointly charged with causing actual bodily harm through assault contrary to section 251 of the Penal Code.

The accused, Dr. Geoffrey Masika Wechuli, an Employee of Kapsabet County Referral Hospital, James Nyamweya Mwamba, an employee of Kenya Ordinance Factory, Maurice Obiero, and Ednah Khaemba together with others not in court have been charged with unlawfully assaulting Professor Wilfred Sawanda.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the night of November 9, 2014, at Racecourse Estate along the Eldoret-Kapsabet highway in Kapseret Sub County, Uasin Gishu County. 

The accused denied the charges levelled against them and are out on bond.

During their defense, Dr. Masika confessed to the court that the complainant was assaulted by angry neighbours who were irritated by noisy prayers and strange chanting from his compound.

“We were vexed with the strange noise that was coming from the professor's compound and we went to find out what was going on and that is when some of our angry neighbours allegedly assaulted him,” Dr. Wechuli told the court. He however exonerated himself from the accusation of assaulting the complainant.

Dr Khaemba who admitted that Professor Sawanda was attacked told the court he did not attack the professor due to his Hippocratic oath as a medical doctor.

“I agree with the medical report presented in this court by my fellow doctor from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, however, I was not among the people who assaulted the complainant bearing in mind that I have taken an oath of protecting life.”

Another witness, Nyamweya, vehemently denied attacking his neighbour even though he admitted that other neighbours awakened him due to a noisy professor whom he accused of performing scaring rituals at night in the name of cleansing prayer.

The hearing has been adjourned to January 24, 2024.

Courtesy; KNA