A former student of the Rift Valley Technical Training Institute (RVTTI) narrated before an Eldoret court how her ex-boyfriend allegedly orchestrated a brutal acid attack that left her with severe burns and permanent injuries.

Bevaline Jelimo Sum, a former diploma student in electrical engineering at the institution, emotionally recounted the events leading to the incident, telling the court that the accused, Tonny Kimwetich Kangogo, attacked her after she ended their romantic relationship.

Sum testified before Magistrate Keyne Odhiambo that the accused had allegedly been threatening and intimidating her following the breakup, although she did not disclose the reasons behind the separation.

The complainant told the packed courtroom that the incident occurred on July 28 last year in the SOS area in Kapsoya Estate in Uasin Gishu County as she was heading to college to sit for her final examination paper.

“I was walking from my rental house to the college to sit for my final paper when the accused person, who was also my college mate, attacked me from behind and poured sulphuric acid on the left side of my neck,” she told the court.

Sum said the attack happened so quickly that she was unable to identify the assailant at the scene. She added that she lost consciousness moments after the incident and only regained awareness while receiving treatment at a private hospital where she had been rushed by a Good Samaritan.

The former student further told the court that after the attack, the accused allegedly sent Ksh11,000 through her elder sister’s mobile phone account to assist in settling her hospital bill.

However, she said the money was returned on the instructions of her parents. She also revealed that the family of the accused later attempted to persuade her parents to settle the matter out of court but the proposal was rejected due to the seriousness of the offence.

“His parents tried to approach my parents with a view to settling the matter out of court but they turned down the offer and resolved to follow the legal process owing to the nature of the offence committed against me by their son,” Sum testified.

The court heard that her family had spent more than Ksh1 million on treatment following the grievous injuries she sustained from the acid burns. The prosecution further told the court that after allegedly carrying out the attack, the accused fled from the scene and proceeded to the college to sit for his final electrical engineering examination paper.

The revelations shocked members of the public who had filled the courtroom to follow the proceedings.

Kangogo has been charged with causing grievous harm to his former girlfriend. He denied the charges during plea taking and was released on a bond of Ksh50,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh20,000 pending the hearing and determination of the case.

The prosecution has lined up four key witnesses, among them a medical doctor from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital who treated the complainant, as well as the investigating officer handling the matter.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Ekuwam Sylvester