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A 24-year-old man has in an emotional testimony, narrated to court how his wife, whom he loved so much, caused him the pain of nursing acid wounds.
Siraje Kato, a potter in Nateete market, a Kampala suburb told a Buganda Road chief magistrate's court that his wife, Sarah Kyarikunda, poured acid on him in a bid to kill him.
The hate crime survivor, who is blind in one eye, pleaded with chief magistrate James Ereemye to deliver a satisfactory sentence to his wife.
"Your worship, if it were possible for the court to order for acid to be poured on Kyarikunda's body like she did to me, it would be a satisfactory punishment," said Kato.
In the build-up to his emotional testimony with bandages all over his head, the acid attack victim told the court how they lived together with his estranged wife. He narrated that before the incident, they had a quarrel and he ordered her to leave his house but she refused.
Kato said he instead left the house. "On the 18th of March 2017 at around midnight while I was walking on the main road in Nateete-Busega to get a boda boda to drop me home, I realised two ladies, Sarah my wife and one Prossy her friend, were trailing me," he narrated to the court.
Kato testified that he overheard Kyarikunda telling two men nearby that 'he is the one' and immediately, the men started chasing after him while shouting in Luganda language that 'omubbi, omubbi' literally meaning "thief, thief".
He testified that he as well tried to raise alarm for rescue but all in vain as the men seized him and Kyarikunda shortly joined them and poured acid on his face. Prosecution papers read: " Kyarikunda and others still at large on March 18 at around midnight at Kigagga Zone -Nateete Rubaga division in Kampala, attempted to cause the death of Kato when they poured acid on his face."
There were chants from the gallery in support of all that the bandaged man said prompting the court to call them to order.
"Let's keep our patience and recall that we are in a court of law. Let the witness give his testimony in peace and we shall also listen to the accused when her time comes," said the Ereemye, the magistrate.
The magistrate slotted the case for further hearing on another date after the session went beyond the sitting hours of the court.
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