Gospel singer Alex Apoko, alias Ringtone, got emotional and wept uncontrollably in the courtroom while narrating how blogger Robert Alai ...
Gospel singer Alex Apoko, alias Ringtone, got emotional and wept uncontrollably in the courtroom while narrating how blogger Robert Alai assaulted him last year. Appearing before Principal Magistrate Monica Maroro at the Kibera Law Courts, Ringtone struggled to hold back his tears while recounting how Alai assaulted and injured him with a rungu during the incident. The musician also claimed that despite being the aggrieved party it took his effort to save Alai from being lynched by a group of youths who were angered by his actions. Ringtone recounted how on the said day, he was driving his Range Rover on his way from Runda to Kilimani when somewhere along the way the street lights turned red and he noticed a Subaru ahead of him. When the lights turned green, he says, the Subaru did not move, prompting him to start hooting. He told the court other motorists were also hooting at the car that was blocking their way. [caption id="attachment_190929" align="aligncenter" width="1320"]
Gospel musician and Ringtone with his lawyer Evans Ondieki outside the the Kibera Law Courts in Nairobi on June 23, 2022. PHOTO | JOSEPH NDUNDA[/caption] He claims that it is at that point that Alai alighted from his car and assaulted him with a rungu. "He smashed my car's windscreen before striking and injuring me on the right side of my head," he told the court amid sobs. The musician said that after Alai assaulted him, angry youths at the scene wanted to attack his assailant but calmed down by offering each of them Sh50. When the prosecution sought to know why he gave out money to pedestrians and boda boda riders at the scene of the incident, Ringtone justified his actions by saying he is a public figure. [caption id="attachment_190928" align="aligncenter" width="1320"]
Blogger Robert Alai in the dock at the Kibera Law Courts in Nairobi on June 23, 2022. PHOTO | JOSEPH NDUNDA[/caption] "I am not bragging, but wherever I go people always demand handouts," he said. The singer said he had never met Alai before that incident. When Alai appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Philip Mutua on August 9, 2021, he denied charges of causing grievous harm to the complainant. He also denied a second count of damaging the windscreen of the complainant's car valued at Sh416,000 and was released on Sh1 million bond or a cash bail of Sh300,000. On Thursday, the court warned the blogger against commenting on the case on social media either directly or through proxies. Hearing of the case will continue on October 25, 2022.
