A senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi was on Wednesday, November 17, charged at Kibera Law Courts over a brutal assault on his girlfriend.
The state prosecutor told the court that the couple, James Kahunyo and Mariam Wanjiku, had picked a fight following a disagreement over control of the window of the lecturer's car.
According to police reports, the two had returned to their apartment from a restaurant along Waiyaki way, on Friday, October 2, when the incident happened.
The woman is said to have requested Kahunyo to close the window but the 66-year-old lecturer insisted that it remained open after which an argument ensued.
This prompted Wanjiku to leave the premises to which Kahunyo took offence. Reports indicate that the defendant kicked his lover in the ribs, dragged her to the bedroom and allegedly assaulted her.
Wanjiku noted that she had tried to alert her sister in fear for her safety but Kahunyo had snatched her phone away and also prevented any efforts to notify the neighbours.
Kahunyo, who teaches pharmacology and toxicology at the university, denied the charges and requested a lenient bond.
Kibera Chief Magistrate Joyce Gandani reviewed the evidence filed in court and released the lecturer on a Ksh 300,000 bond or an alternative cash bail of Ksh50,000.
Previous cases have also seen the university dons land in court or had run-ins with law enforcement over domestic matters.
One incident saw a lecturer at the same university arrested after the body of her 13-year-old son was found wrapped in a blanket at their house.
Nearby residents had alerted the police after they sensed a foul smell coming from the house. The police, after breaking the door, arrested the lecturer who had hidden herself in a cupboard. The sleuths noted that investigations are still ongoing.
Another case saw a dean of students from the Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA) arrested over assaulting another senior lecturer who had questioned the hiring process within the university.
The senior lecturer had confronted the dean over the examinations set by the lecturers at the Political Science Department which, according to her, were below the school's standards. She also questioned the degree qualifications of the lecturers to which the dean took offence and allegedly attacked her.
