KISII, Kenya, Dec 22 – Detectives have concluded that Junior Sagini’s eyes were gouged out because of a land inheritance dispute and are set to charge three of his relatives with causing grievous harm.
According to police sources, the three-year-old boy was next in line to inherit a piece of land from his father who is sickly, something that had not gone well with his relatives.
The dispute has been going on for a while pitting his father and grandmother on one side and his uncles who have sworn to disinherit the three-year-old.
Sagini’s grandmother has insisted that as the first-born son it is only natural that the three-year-old be given the land despite his young age but have it under the care of an adult who is to hand it over to him once he attains adulthood.
Three suspects have today, Thursday appeared before a Kisii Law Court following the conclusion of investigations but were not charged due to the absence of interested parties.
Alex Ochogo, Pacifica Nyakerario and Rael Nyakerario appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Ogweno but prosecutor Hillary Keino asked for an extra day before formally charging them as a children’s officer was not present at the court.
“We request to detain the suspects for one more day for the interested parties to be present during the plea-taking,” said Kaino.
The suspects agreed with the submission from the prosecutor who wanted to detain them for an extra day.
“Considering the nature of this case which has attracted huge public interest the suspects will be detained at Rioma police station till tomorrow morning for them to face the charges,” said Ogweno
Junior Sagini, had gone to fetch water on December 13 from a nearby spring in the company of other children but did not return home.
The children who were with Sagini say that while on the way to the river, the three-year-old suddenly threw his jerrican and started running away. When the other children got home with their jerrycans full of water, they informed Sagini’s grandmother what had happened.
Her grandmother went to the spring searching for her grandson, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“We tried to look for him but all our efforts proved futile. The following day, his elder brother who had gone to cut grass for the cows pounced on him in a maize plantation and he came home panting to inform us. We rushed to the scene and found the boy writhing in pain and his eyes gouged out,” said her grandmother.
The boy has already been released from hospital and is under the care of the government.
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