A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of assaulting his ex-wife’s grandmother five years ago.
Samuel Kanyi was convicted and sentenced by Senior Principal Magistrate Paul Rotich at the Makadara Law Courts in Nairobi following a full trial.
The offence took place on the night of April 22, 2020, at the home of the 72-year-old survivor, identified in court as NMK, with the offence taking place at Ruai, within Njiru Sub-County. At the time, Kanyi was 25 years old.
According to court proceedings, Kanyi forcefully entered NMK’s home, where she lived alone following her separation from her husband. That night, NMK was awakened by footsteps outside her house around midnight. When she inquired who was there, no response came, and after waiting briefly, she went back to bed.
Two hours later, amid heavy rain, the intruder returned and broke down her door. NMK retrieved her phone from under her pillow and used the flashlight to identify Kanyi, who had previously been married to her granddaughter. The two had separated due to his violent behaviour.
After being identified, Kanyi assaulted her and carried out the offence. Despite the survivor’s attempts to raise alarm, her cries for help were not heard due to the storm and the distance between neighbouring homes.
The matter was investigated, and on May 2, 2020, Kanyi was formally charged. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) successfully prosecuted the case, resulting in his conviction and sentencing.
Kanyi has been granted 14 days to appeal the decision.
