Two people implicated in Junior Sagini’s eye gouging case have denied the charges, alleging they were not at the scene of the crime.
This comes even as the court ruled they had a case to answer for the offense, which was committed between December 13 and 14, 2022, at Ikuruma village, Marani Sub County.
The duo told Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Ogweno that they were innocent in the case in which Pascipica Nyakerario (third accused) and Alex Ochogo (first accused) were accused of causing bodily harm to Sagini by gouging his eyes out.
Nyakerario was arrested at Kahawa Sukari estate in Nairobi and escorted to Kisii to face the charge, which she denied.
On cross-examination by the prosecution side, led by Hilary Kaino, while George Morara and Davin Biyaki testified for the minor, Nyakerario admitted her daughter-in law Teresa, Sagini’s sister Shantel were at home when she left briefly for a funeral nearby.
She claimed that when she left for Nairobi in the evening to visit her daughter, the incident had not occurred. The prosecution had told her that she was on the run upon commission of the crime.
Asked whether she could bring the daughter whom she went to visit to testify, the accused retorted that she did not know whether she would accept.
On why her daughter-in-law, Teresa, implicated her in the offense in her earlier testimony, Nyakerario alleged there were strained relations between them.
Ochogo, the first accused, claimed that when he escorted his mother to Kisii town en route to Nairobi, the incident had not occurred.
He also denied claims that his wife saw him approaching the homestead with a gunny bag and a knife and that he learned about the incident the following day when he was arrested by the area chief.
Advocate Winston Magara represented the accused.
The defense hearing for the third accused, Rael Nyakerario, will start on May 5, 2023, while defense witnesses, if any, were expected to testify on May 2.
By Jane Naitore
