A 56-year-old woman is crying for justice after her husband of 20 years allegedly assaulted and injured her arm and hands last year.
Regina Njoki, a resident of Kaisagat location in Kwanza, Trans Nzoia County, had her arms severely injured when her husband attacked her with a panga in December.
The victim of domestic violence said she had been having disagreements with her husband for long before they opted to separate.
Prior to their separation, the couple had two children who unfortunately perished in a house fire before they were later blessed with two more children.
Njoki accuses her husband of neglect, saying he has not been supportive of her only son and daughter, adding that she has had to pay school fees.“I had shortly separated with him and our son who was residing in Nairobi returned home, saying he longed to see his father but as soon as he reunited with him, trouble brewed and the father chased him away with a spear,” she said.
Njoki said a boda boda operator who witnessed the incident saved the boy from his father and reported the matter to the Maili Saba police station. Police are said to have taken away the spear.
She added that her daughter who also reunited with the father on the promise that he would support her secondary education after completing primary school had differences with him.
The girl, she added, also had trouble with her father whom she accused of chasing her out of the home while armed.
Refuge
She is said to have sought refuge at a neighbour’s house.
But narrating the ordeal that left her fingers almost severed, Njoki said on her return, her husband said he neither wanted to see her nor the children, despite having welcomed her back.
“I had gone to pick a wheelbarrow to empty cow dung from the cow shed prior to milking when he confronted me with a panga, saying he did not want to see us. As I tried to defend myself, he chopped off my fingers using the panga,” she said.
Sitting at the home of her in-law where she sought refuge, Njoki said she sought medical help at the Kitale Level 4 Hospital, where she was treated and discharged after a couple of days.
She reported the matter at the Maili Saba police station where she recorded her statement after being discharged from the hospital. She said the medics told her that her hand required surgery. She was to be fitted with a metallic rod to help her function normally.
But despite all this, she added, her husband still roams freely, saying police have not taken action against him, which poses a greater risk to her security.
“My husband has kidney failure and attends dialysis sessions, so he bases his actions on the ailment, yet he is of good health,” Njoki said.
She appealed to the government to help her get back a lorry that her husband sold without her consent.
Her son who witnessed the incident said they reported the matter at Maili Saba police station but that same evening, his father who had been arrested was back in the village.
Human rights activist Eva Nyamwogo criticised the quick release of the man accused of attacking Njoki. She said such acts should not be tolerated.
When contacted, Kwanza Sub-county OCPD James Odera said the suspect was arrested and arraigned in court and released on free bond due to his medical condition.
Efforts to contact the accused over the allegations were futile.
