Presidential aspirant Dr Mukhisa Kituyi was yesterday fighting off allegations that he assaulted a female companion at a five-star hotel in Mombasa last month.
His efforts follow a report filed in the Occurrence Book (OB) at the Nyali police station in Mombasa County on May 22, 2021, by one Diana Opemi Lutta that she had been assaulted by the former United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary General while at the hotel.
In the report booked under OB Number 10/22/05/2021, Ms Lutta alleged that the former Trade minister in the first government of retired President Mwai Kibaki assaulted her in the hotel.
“Assault report to the station by one Diana Opemi Lutta (who) has submitted a report today the 22nd day of May 2021, at around 0200 hours. She has been assaulted by a person known to her within Tamarind Village, namely Mukhisa Kituyi whom she claims to be her boyfriend.”
In an interview with K24 Digital, Ms Lutta claimed Kituyi, who she alleged was her boyfriend, turned violent after she rejected his sexual advances.
She claimed that the politician pushed her from the bed and continued kicking her after she fell on the floor. She alleged that she sustained injuries on the left knee from the fall.
“Police advised her to seek medical attention for further police action after she was issued with a P3 form which was later filled at the Coast General Hospital,” reads the police report.
But contacted for comment yesterday, Kituyi denied that he roughed up the woman.
He, however, confirmed that a report on the alleged assault had been made to the police but it had since been withdrawn.
“Someone had written a report claiming l had assaulted her but it was not true, I’ve never beaten any woman in my life nor do I intend to ever do it at any given time. We sorted out the case and it was withdrawn,” he said in a brief text message to our reporter.
According to Section 250 of the Penal Code “any person who unlawfully assaults another is guilty of a misdemeanour and, if the assault is not committed in circumstances for which a greater punishment is provided in this Code, is liable to imprisonment for a period not less than one year.”
Section 251 of the Penal Code, on the other hand, states that any person who commits an assault occasioning actual bodily harm is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for five years.
A senior police officer in the Coast region who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter said he was not aware that the case had been withdrawn.
“Kindly get in touch with the officer in charge of the station since I am not aware of the matter being withdrawn. We were waiting for the P3 form to be filled and handed over to us to enable us to arrest the suspect,” the officer said.
He was categorical that had the case been withdrawn, police records ought to have been updated to indicate such a development.
“Once a complainant withdraws a matter at the station level, the withdrawal should be entered in the OB and a withdrawal statement signed by the complainant indicating he or she does not intend to proceed with the matter which is not the case in this matter,” said the officer who is privy to the ongoing investigations.
Last night, Nyali OCS Albert Chebii denied that the case had been withdrawn and said investigations were ongoing. “We are still investigating the matter,” the officer told this writer without elaborating.
Kituyi was in the Coast region last month to popularise his presidential ambitions after declaring interest in the 2022 State House race.
Kituyi returned to the country in February this year from Geneva following his resignation retirement at UNCTAD to focus on his presidential campaigns.
“I will show sufficient attention to creating hope for the hopeless, reviving the livelihoods of those who are victims of the disruptions,” he said in February
