A woman in Mombasa, Stella Mwende is still hopeful that justice will come her way one day.
The 43-year-old mother of two was attacked by a 28-year-old man, Victor Odhiambo Omanya back in 2018 December over love matters.
Omanya attacked the woman using a panga before he gouged out her right eye after she turned down his wishes to get into a relationship with her. Mwende rejected the man because he was too young to fall in love with and considered him as her own son.
She reported the incident at Central Police Station under OB No. 88/17/12/2018.
The suspect ran into hiding after learning the police were looking for him.
Mwende, 43, got the attention of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji and the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti when they visited Kisauni, Mombasa County, in April this year.
Haki Africa explained to the DPP and DCI the hurdles surrounding the case and they promised to have the issues acted on. He was arrested on May 8.
"28-Year-Old Victor Odhiambo Omanya was Today arrested in #Kayole by @DCI_Kenya Detectives for Seriously assaulting a woman-He completely gauged out the woman’s Eye. The suspect had been on the run since he committed the offence in December 2018|@S4JMombasa |@HakiAfrica|@ODPP_KE," DCI tweeted at the time.
The suspected was moved to Mombasa where he was charged in a Mombasa court for causing grievous harm and wounding Mwende. He, however, denied the charges and was remanded.
The case was later withdrawn under Section 87 (a) of the Criminal Procedure Code after the police failed to hand over the case file to the prosecutor, and the suspect is just but a free man in the society.
“My friends told me they saw him (Odhiambo) in Ganjoni, where I used to stay. I wondered what happened and when I asked the police I was given unsatisfactory answers,” said Mwende.
Mwende had hoped the case will take a positive turn after it reached the DCI and the DPP, but her hope is far away from reality considering the suspect is now a free man.