This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
On November 5, 2019, a shocking incident occurred at the Kisumu law courts when a man assaulted his girlfriend, an intern at the Human Resource department, within the court corridors.
The suspect, Oscar Jonyo, a part-time lecturer at one of the universities in Kisumu, was detained at the court cells after the incident interrupted a court session briefly.
According to eyewitnesses, the trouble started when Jonyo walked into the court premises and called the intern, who had left the office shortly after receiving a call.
Senior Principal Magistrate Winfred Onkunya's court session was briefly interrupted as Jonyo engaged the intern in verbal and physical exchanges.
A staff member at the Human Resource department, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the intern had rushed back to the office in tears.
During the fracas, Jonyo grabbed the intern's phone, even as she pleaded with him to let her retrieve her sim card.
Court orderlies arrested Jonyo and detained him at the holding cells within the court corridors.
Attempts to get a comment from Jonyo were futile, as his lawyer claimed they were not ready to speak to the press.
Witnesses, including judicial staff and other court users, termed the incident as unfortunate and a reflection of the many cases of domestic violence that continue to take place across the country.
