A woman in Mowlem, Nairobi, who was accused of scalding her husband of eight years on the face and chest with hot cooking oil has a case to answer, a court has ruled.
Christine Odhiambo Kweyu was accused of causing grievous bodily harm to her husband Ernest Kweyu Akedi on October 13, 2019.
The court had heard that Christine had been hostile to Ernest and in some instances made him sleep at the workshop where he worked.
The court heard that the caretaker went to Ernest’s house to ask for rent and found Christine in a foul mood. The caretaker reportedly advised Ernest not to return home that evening.
But for the love of his children, Ernest went home with some shopping. When he got home, he met an angry-looking Christine, who ordered him to sit at the table next to the gas cylinder on which cooking oil was boiling.
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He ignored the orders but before he knew it, Christine had splashed the boiling oil on his face, claiming he had neglected his children.
According to the prosecution, after committing the offence, Christine dashed outside, shouting and claiming a thief had broken into their house. She then disappeared. Their son, who sat next to Ernest also suffered burns.
Neighbours took him to a nearby clinic, where he was attended to and later transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU for one week after developing breathing problems. The case will be heard on March 23.
