Ms Maureen Nyaboke (centre), mother of a three-year-old Junior Sagini whose eyes were gouged out, is consoled by Kisii Governor Simba Arati (left) and the Medical Director at the Kisii Eye Hospital Dr Dan Kiage (right) on December 18, 2022.
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Sagini's mother: I never want to see my baby’s attackers again
Baby Junior Sagini’s mother, Maureen Nyaboke, has broken her long silence after the sentencing of her son’s assailants, declaring that she wished they had all been handed life sentences.
Ever since her son was attacked and his eyes gouged out, Ms Nyaboke has avoided public appearances and the court proceedings and was absent on the day the assailants were sentenced.
In an exclusive interview with the Nation, Ms Nyaboke said life has been tough and she feels disappointed that despite the three permanently maiming her son, they were not jailed for life.
“My son’s eyes were totally damaged. No miracle will happen for him to ever see again; he is now blind. He was innocent. The same way my son will never see again, the harsh punishment they gave to him, they should never be made to see the outside of the prison gate for the rest of their lives. They should just die there,” she told the Nation on the phone.
It has been difficult to locate Ms Nyaboke as she does not own a phone. But with the help of Sagini's lawyer George Morara, the Nation was able to get her on Wednesday night.
“We had to send someone to physically look for her. It has been hectic,” said Mr Morara.
Kisii Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Ogweno handed jail sentences of between five and 40 years to Sagini’s grandmother, uncle and cousin for causing physical harm on the boy.
Sagini’s cousin Alex Maina Ochogo, who was the principal culprit in the case, was on Monday sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment.
The court established that Ochogo gouged out Sagini’s eyes using a sharp knife.
Magistrate Ogweno also sentenced Sagini’s aunt Pacifica Nyakerario and his grandmother Rael Mayaka to 10 and five years’ imprisonment, respectively, for aiding and abetting the offence committed on December 13, 2022 at their home in Ikuruma in Marani sub-County.
Alex Maina (cousin), Pacifica Nyakerario (aunt) and Rael Mayaka (grandmother) who were found guilty of gouging out baby Junior Sagini's eyes. Here, they were consulting with their lawyer Winston Magara.
Ms Nyaboke who was away from her home at the time of the attack said she received a call from an unknown woman on December 18, 2022, who asked her to go back home.
“I contacted my mother-in-law, Rael Mayaka, who informed me that my baby had sustained injuries on the eyes and had been taken to hospital,” she said.
She travelled to Kisii and went to see her son at the Kisii Eye Hospital. The baby asked her to remove the bandages around his eyes so that he could see her as he had recognised her voice.
“My baby is now a person living with a disability. Where will I start now? I am not happy; this is the greatest test of my life. It would have been better if they had removed my own eyes instead of torturing my innocent child,” she said.
Ms Nyaboke, 28, now works as a hotel attendant in Nakuru and says that life has never been the same for her since her son’s eyes were gouged out.
“I am working towards financial stability. I will take my children from where they are now after I am able to put up a business,” she said, noting that for now Sagini and his older sister are better off in the children’s home where they have been placed under state protection.
Ms Nyaboke has not seen her children since December 2022 when they were put under protection.
“I didn't even come for the hearing, judgement and sentencing of the accused persons because I could not just stay idle in Kisii awaiting the case. I had to go out and work. I did not want to depend on the government for my upkeep,” she explained.
Additionally, she separated from her husband Thomas Ongaga Mayieka, who is Sagini’s stepfather.
“I stopped associating with them completely. That is not a good family that you can stay with,” said Ms Nyaboke, noting that she wants nothing to do with them.
She explained that their relationship was on and off for three years.
“My husband was not as bad. But my mother-in-law was the problem. She used to have many issues,” Ms Nyaboke added.
In Magistrate Ogweno’s own words, Sagini’s mother “has been left tormented, due to the pain caused to her son, who is now blind, a condition that cannot be reversed.”
While finding the accused culpable, the court established that after gouging out Sagini’s eyes, Ochogo, Nyakerario and Mayaka put him in a sack and drank chang’aa as they danced, apparently to celebrate what they had done.
The attackers thought they had killed the baby.
Before December 13, 2022, the magistrate said, the boy lived a relatively and expectedly normal life under the care of his grandmother, Mayaka.
However, Ms Ogweno noted that the events of December 13, 2022, will forever be etched in Sagini's mind and engraved in his life, if memories were to fail him.
Lawyer Morara said he was content with the sentence handed over to the accused persons, terming it as a win for Sagini.
“The sentence was grounded on the suspects getting what they deserve. The magistrate was keen to punish the offence and deter such future happenings. The suspects had abused the responsibility they had been given. They instead became key tormentors,” he said.
