Siaya man charged after friend filmed him assaulting woman
Justus Oduor after he was arrested in Nakuru. Emaculate Akinyi (right), a woman whose video went viral after she was allegedly assaulted by Mr Oduor.
A man who was filmed beating a woman in Nyadorera, Siaya County, was charged with assault on Tuesday.
Mr Justus Oduor Okong'o, 24, denied the charges before Siaya Magistrate Margaret Wamban. The case will be heard on July 19.
But the magistrate granted the parties the option of settling the matter out of court, with the area chief asked to report the outcome to the court.
Ms Emaculate Akinyi, whose beating was captured on a video that circulated on social media, said Mr Oduor assaulted her as a friend of his recorded the cruelty on a mobile phone.
“He came to my house and began beating me. I struggled to free myself from the blows that he threw towards me, but he overpowered me and went on to cause me physical harm,” said Ms Akinyi.
She went on: “I shouted for help. The only person who was around was the friend of my attacker, who was recording using a phone.”
Ms Akinyi further told the Nation that Mr Oduor claimed she had bad-mouthed him to his ex-girlfriend, who was not present at the scene.
“He told me that he wanted to teach me the lesson of my life. He claimed that his ex-girlfriend and I conspired to talk ill about him. His ex-girlfriend is my friend and I don’t remember saying anything bad about him,” she said.
Gone into hiding
Ms Akinyi reported the incident to the Nyadorera police post.
“Before seeking medication I reported the matter to the police, who began looking for Mr Oduor, who had gone into hiding,” she said.
Mr Oduor went on the run after the video of the assault went viral on social media. He was arrested by the police in Nakuru and brought to Siaya to face assault charges.
“The police had been looking for him ever since the incident was reported and yesterday they managed to arrest him in Nakuru. He will face the full force of the law,” said Siaya sub-county Police Commander Bernard Mwangangi.
The video sparked outrage on social media and many people urged the police to ensure that the suspect was brought to book.
“What are the police waiting for? The video is clearly showing the culprit and no arrest has been made,” Sylvia Omolo commented on the video posted on Facebook.
Odira Kodira wrote: “This is where we are, nobody cares whether our daughters are killed or not.”
Kilonzo wa Thiong’o said, “We should not talk much, let the police and the women rights activists act, justice for the woman.”
