A renowned gospel singer Alex Apoko, alias Ringtone got emotional and cried in court while narrating how blogger Robert Alai assaulted him.
Appearing before Kibera magistrate Senior Principal Magistrate Monicah Maroro, Apoko said that he saved Alai from being beaten by a group of youths who were angry with his actions where he gave them some small money they buy food.
“I am a public figure and I am not bragging and due to that whenever I go some youths do ask me for money for lunch, “added Apoko.
He said that after Alai assaulted him, the youths were angry and he calmed them by giving the some small money.
Apoko was responding to a question by the prosecution who asked him why he was seen distributing money to pedestrians and boda boda riders during the incident.
The Artiste could not hold his tears while he was giving his testimony in assault case against Alai saying that it is against the law for an individual to take law into their own hands.
“I was coming from Runda and was heading to Kilimani area to meet my friends and I used Lavington way before the incident,” he added.
He said that he was driving his range rover and when the street lights turned red he saw a Subaru car ahead of him.
Apoko said that despite the lights turning green, the Subaru car was still blocking him that he started to hoot.
He told the court that he was not the only one hooting over ten other vehicles were hooting at the car that was blocking them.
The witness added that Alai hit his car at a roundabout on Oloitoktok Road with a Rungu that was presented in court as evidence three times.
“After hitting the car windows fell and I was hit at the right side of my head where I sustained serious injuries,” he added.
It was his testimony that because he did not want to violate traffic rules by being violent, he cried and uttered this words “Kwa nini umenipiga…haijalishi…kubeba sheria Kwa mkono (Why have you beaten me…it does not matter…taking the law into your own hands),”
He told the court that Alai who used to write malicious stories about him on his blog also insulted him that day he assaulted him.
Apoko insisted that the law must be respected because being a public figure, he was humiliated by Alai in public. He added that he had thought that the Subaru belonged to CIDs but it belonged to Alai whom he had not met before.
He said the matter was reported at Kilimani Police station.
During Cross Examination by Accused lawyer Edward Oonge, Apoko was asked whether he knew Alai before the incident and he said he knew him as blogger but he had not met him.
“I had no intentions of meeting blogger Alai even though I knew he had spread rumors about me that I have cows at my Karen home,” he added.
He was asked whether he knows that a car could stop because it has a mechanical problem or it is preparing to move and he said yes.
In the case, blogger Robert Alai is charged with causing grievous harm to Apoko in July, 2020.
Apoko is being represented by Lawyer Evans Ondieki. Alai was charged before Kibera senior principal magistrate Phillip Mutua in August 2021, where he denied the charges.
The blogger was also charged with a second count of damaging Ringtone’s windscreen, valued at Sh416, 000.
He denied both the charges and was released on Sh1 million bond or a cash bail of Sh300, 000.
The court warned Alai against commenting on the case on social media either directly or through proxies.
Hearing will continue on October 25, 2022.
