Widowed at 36 with two kids, now disabled with one eye gone and not able to fend for herself and children, not to mention the huge mountain of hospital bills.
This is the story of Stella Mwende, 43, who says she was grievously assaulted by a 28-year old man whose love overture she rejected.
Yesterday, the DCI, through his Twitter handle announced that Omanya had been arrested at Kayole, Nairobi, and that he was in custody as investigation proceeded.
"28-year-old Victor Odhiambo Omanya was today arrested in #Kayole by @DCI_Kenya detectives for seriously assaulting a woman. He completely gauged out the woman’s eye. The suspect had been on the run since he committed the offence in December 2018," the tweet read.
Mwende told the Star she was accosted by Victor Odhiambo Omanya in December last year at her house in Ganjoni area, Mombasa county, who slashed the right side of her head and gauged out her right eye.
She also sustained a deep cut on her right shoulder and her right hand while defending herself, she said. Mwende was widowed in 2012.
It all started in August last year when Omanya, a customer at her open-air eatery, approached her, expressing his interest in her.
"I told him I was the age of his mother and that nothing could go on between us but he persisted," the mother of two told the Star.
He would remind Mwende occasionally when he helped move the utensils back to the house upstairs in the later's flat.
In December, she said, it was raining in the area affecting her business.
"I requested some young men, including Omanya, to help me pitch some tent because my business would be greatly affected," Mwende said.
Now working up close with Mwende, Omanya thought this was a golden opportunity to pursue his desire.
"He again reminded me about his interest and I reiterated my earlier response, firmly this time," she said.
"Akaniambia mtu haambiwangwi hivyo. Hata unasema unafikiria juu yake na ujibu baadaye hata ukikata [You should not reject me flatly like that. You might even say you are considering it and later decline]," she narrated. This was at the beginning of the fateful week.
Omanya would store his working tools at Mwende's house. He never showed up the next day to complete his tent pitching work.
Mwende bump into the man at the end of the week at the local market drunk.
"He started frothing at me, demanding his panga which he left at my house," she said. Omanya demanded to go with Mwende to her house to collect his tools.
"I did not even have an exchange with him but he just took the panga and started quarreling me in my house, pointing that weapon at me before starting to slash me," she said.
After the attack she reported the matter to the local police station but Omanya had vanished.
"I did not see the police take the matter seriously and so I reported it to Ipoa which promised to revert after 60 days," she said.
Mwended met the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji and DCI chief George Kinoti last month in Kisauni.
She moved to Mishomoroni from Ganjoni, saying the trauma she suffered could not have allowed her to continue staying in the area.
Mwende said she is not able to work right now as she is not fully healed and has had to keep begging her landlord not kick her out.
"My child is home because I cannot pay the school fees right now and we barely eat. Life has become just unbearable for me," she told the Star.
