A Kilifi tuktuk driver has been sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of assaulting his estranged wife and forcefully taking her medical kit in an incident at Mavueni Stage.
Alfred Ziro Yawa was found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 251 of the Penal Code, following a prosecution led by Principal Prosecution Counsel Nancy Njeru.
Principal Magistrate Ivy D. Wasike heard that Yawa attacked Stellah Miki Ziro on January 9, 2025, as she waited for transport to her workplace at Chasimba Hospital.
The court was told that Yawa arrived in a tuktuk and attempted to force Stellah into the vehicle. After she refused, he allegedly struck her eight times on the head before grabbing her medical kit and fleeing.
The kit contained her money, house keys and work identification card.
Stellah testified that she had been living separately from Yawa for 12 years after leaving their marriage when he married a second wife. Her account was supported by eyewitnesses and medical evidence from Chasimba Dispensary, which confirmed injuries and pain on the left side of her head.
In her judgment, Magistrate Wasike noted that Yawa had continued pursuing and harassing Stellah despite their separation.
Although Yawa pleaded for leniency and expressed remorse, the court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment, citing the seriousness of the offence and the need to deter gender-based violence.