Man 'assaults' pregnant woman

An Isiolo woman is fighting for her life at a hospital in Maua, Meru County, after assault by a neighbour, whom she claimed had tried to rape her.

Shukri Maalim, 27, who is six months pregnant, was assaulted by the man at Kishongo estate in Maua on Monday and was admitted to Maua Methodist Hospital on Wednesday with injuries to her head, face and neck.

Ms Maalim claimed the man had gone to her home and tried talk her into having sex with him, and attempted to rape her when she turned him down.

''He attempted to rape me and when I screamed he beat me,'' she told The Standard in an interview yesterday. Her husband, Ali Noor, said it is the screams that attracted neighbours who came to her rescue.

''The attack took place inside my house at around noon,'' said the man, who recently moved to Maua from Isiolo with his wife to start a miraa business.

The suspect was later arrested and released on a cash bond of Sh10,000 before being rearrested. The woman's elder brother, Issack Mohammed, also claimed the same suspect had hired people to assault him.

''I was attacked by bandits at Eldera (Isiolo County) and this man told me and some local traders that he was the one who sent the bandits to attack me,'' said Mohammed.