This archive report was first published on 29 September 2021.
On Monday, a bizarre incident unfolded at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, where a witness attacked a lawyer during cross-examination.
John Edward Njeru, a 69-year-old former Director of Operations at the Kenya Police Service, was a key witness in a case where he was allegedly defrauded of land.
Lawyer Alex Kimani, representing the accused person, requested permission to get closer to Njeru to show him some documents. However, when Kimani approached him, Njeru landed a heavy blow on his abdomen.
The court condemned the assault and slapped Njeru with a 1-day jail term.
Lawyer Waweru Benson, representing Kimani, told the court that his client was still in serious pain and had visited a hospital for a medical check-up.
“After yesterday’s incident, my colleague developed a sharp pain in his abdomen. He visited the hospital and was advised by the doctor to undergo a scan to ascertain the cause of the pain,” Waweru said.
Magistrate Bernard Ochoi urged Kimani to file a report with the police, stating that the action was totally unacceptable in the court and was seriously condemned.
