Man accused of assaulting house help for ‘over-praying’

A 42-year-old man in Eldoret has pleaded guilty to assaulting the family’s house help because she was “over-praying” loudly and delaying to open the door to the family house for him.

The court heard that Dan Okinda, who came home drunk at around 7pm on May 28, found his mother and their maid in deep prayers. He knocked on the door but the two continued praying.

Okinda had to remain out of the house for more than one hour, until the two concluded their prayers at around 8pm.

When the door was finally opened, an angry Okinda attacked Jacinta Atieno,42, accusing her of failing in her duties.

Okinda’s mother, Rachael Okinda, tried to restrain him but he overpowered the 62-year-old woman and continued to assault the maid, breaking one of her teeth.

The incident happened at Annex trading Centre in Kapseret sub-county, on the outskirts of Eldoret, court documents showed.

Ms Okinda reported the incident at the Naiber Police Station.

The accused was arrested and arraigned before Principal Magistrate Mogire Onkoba.

He pleaded guilty to the charge.

In his mitigation, he blamed his actions on his addiction to alcohol, which the two women were praying against, and asked the court to forgive him.

“I did what I did while under the influence of alcohol, since on the material day I had overtaken alcohol and I did not know what I was doing,” he said.

The magistrate told him that at his age he is not supposed to be disturbing his elderly mother and he should have moved out of the family house to start his own family.

He told the magistrate that he was not married.

His sentencing was adjourned, pending the presentation of a probation report.

The case will be mentioned on June 15.