A man was on Friday charged with threatening to kill his wife in public after allegedly quarrelling over his work.

Gerald  Mugendi was also charged with causing a breach of peace in Kianjokoma trading centre on May 8 when he chased his wife Ann Kirito Gitonga, shouting he would kill her.

He denied the charge before Embu chief magistrate Maxwell Gicheru.

Mugendi said they had disagreed over the nature of his work. He told Gicheru he did not have an alternative but to do the job. The nature of the job was not clear.

“Your honour, the complainant is my wife and we had quarrelled over my job which I don’t like but which I do because I don’t have an alternative,” said Mugendi.

The magistrate cut him short, saying the suspect will have the chance to defend himself when the time comes. The court granted Mugendi a bail of Sh50,000 with an alternative bond of Sh100,000.

The case was fixed for hearing on May 23.

Gicheru directed that Mugendi be supplied with copies of the charge sheet, witness’s statements and any other documents the prosecution was planning to use against him.