A Mombasa court has ordered two co-wives to resolve their differences by forgiving each other.
Mombasa senior resident magistrate Rita Orare on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, directed the duo to set aside their differences and forgive each other ahead of the sentencing of the first wife who had pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting her co-wife.
The suspect Ann Wamboi pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting Annet Nakaza occasioning her actual bodily harm.
Suspect’s relationship with complainant
The move was reached at after the magistrate enquired on the relationship the suspect has with the complainant and it emerged that she was the co-wife.
“Who did you assault, who is she to you and why did you assault her?” the judge posed.
The suspect informed the court that the complainant was her best friend now turned out to be her co-wife after she began dating his husband.
“She is my co-wife. l assaulted her since she has been my best friend and she began a relationship with my husband,” she stated.
She pleaded for forgiveness from the complainant, stating that she has a young baby whom she would leave unattended in case she would be jailed.
However, the complainant was hesitant to withdraw the matter, stating that despite having quarrelled with the suspect during the day, she stormed into her house and assaulted her at night and it took the intervention of their husband to separate them.
“Allow me to go think about forgiveness, give me more days up until Friday since she assaulted me after storming inside my room. l have the dress which she tore into pieces at night,” she told the court.
Court sets ruling date
Orare allowed her application and ordered the matter to be mentioned on September 18, 2024.
“Since she has asked for forgiveness find it in you to forgive her and become friends again since even the man that you are fighting for is not here in court, and in case you don’t forgive her l will sentence her but have allowed your application. Come back here on Friday at 9 am and let me hear of your decision,” Orare said.
She further ordered the suspect to be detained at Changamwe Police Station and be produced in court on Friday.
The court heard that on September 8, 2024, at the Mikanjuni area of Kombucha Subcounty within Mombasa County, the suspect willfully and unlawfully assaulted Nakaza thereby occasioning her actual bodily harm.