There was drama at the Kitui Law Courts on Wednesday following the acquittal of a catholic Priest accused of causing grievous harm to his alleged lover and their daughter.
The complainant Veronicah Musali Mutua broke into a loud wail outside the courtroom claiming denial of justice after Chief Magistrate Stephen Mbungi delivered the judgment in a packed court room.
The accused, Father Japheth Mwove Kimanzi who was formerly attached at the Kitui Catholic Diocese’s Kabati Parish, hurriedly left the court premises after a grueling six-year criminal trial which culminated in his acquittal.
Addressing the press outside, a teary Musali lamented that the judgment had dealt her and her nine-year-old daughter a blow and appealed to FIDA and other human rights groups to come to their aid in their quest for justice.
“Since I was attacked with my daughter, my life took a nosedive. My daughter suffered permanent brain damage that led to her physical impairment including loss of sight, hearing and mobility,” she said.
Musali, who is unemployed, noted that her inability to meet the daily provisions of her daughter and the court’s decision to set free the man who she claimed destroyed her life was a miscarriage of justice.
Father Mwove was on December 3, 2015 arraigned before the then Principal Magistrate Esther Boke facing the criminal charges which he was accused of committing the act at Muthale village in Mutonguni location, Kitui West, on November 16, 2015 at about 10 pm.
The Priest pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on Sh. 100,000 bond with a similar surety with an option of Sh. 15,000 cash bail.
Chief Magistrate Mbungi said that the court’s decision to set the accused priest free was based on his strong alibi during the said incident coupled with lack of concrete evidence linking him to the alleged criminal act.
Ms Musali was given 14 days to appeal the judgment.