An elderly man is facing charges of threatening to kill a woman who turned down his romantic advances after he had sent her money.
Joel Mecha, 50, appeared at the Kibera law courts in Nairobi where he was accused of uttering the words: ‘nitakutoa hio kichwa au mtoto wako apotee’ to the complainant.
The words that loosely translate to, I will dismember your head or your child will get lost, were interpreted as death threats.
The fallout between the pair started when Mecha reportedly called the woman to meet him in town and gave her a Sh10,000 cheque.
The following day, Mecha sent her an additional Sh1000 and told her it was for accepting the cheque.
The man would then proceed to make incessant calls to the woman which made her uncomfortable. The woman who works as a cashier at a church was forced to block his number, but Mecha used different numbers to call her.
The two later met at the woman’s house after Mecha sent a churchmate to the complainant, During the meeting, he reportedly declared that he wanted her to be his lover.
But the 32-year-old woman rejected his overtures citing their age difference. He would later issue the threats while demanding a refund.
Mecha denied the charges saying their conflict is a result of a debt that the woman owes him.
Senior resident magistrate Charles Mwaniki released him on a cash bail of Sh15,000.
The case will be mentioned on September 6.
