By Felix Njenga
Parents of Joypot Primary School in Kiambu County are seeking justice after their children were severely assaulted, leading to serious bodily harm, by their teachers while administering punishments. As the pupils are receiving treatment, a teacher is on the run while another has been arrested after the two incidents occurred.
The teachers are said to have committed the acts in separate incidents at the private school which has two separate outlets, one being in Kamondo in Githunguri sub county while another being in Kawaida in Kiambaa sub county.
One of the teachers is said to have injured a Class Three pupil on his back due to canning while the other is accused of crushing the testicles of a Class Six pupil.
According to the Class Three pupil at Joypot Primary school in Kawainda Cianda, he alleged that a teacher wanted him to answer a question which he could not answer correctly; he was then called in front of class before being canned 20 strokes on his back side.
“Teacher Titus beat me at the back 20 strokes as I did not get the answer to a question. I felt pain and I was not able to sit down. I could only squat until I went home,” the pupil said.
The pupil said that the teacher was also demanding for sh 10 which he was supposed to pay for tuition.
Margret Wairimu, his mother said that her son told her that he got the beating since he was not able to answer the question correctly, adding that she has already acquired a P3 form from the police and taken him to hospital.
“My son cannot sit down since his buttocks are sore. I reported the matter to the police where the teacher, upon being arrested, fled and we have not heard from the teacher again,” Wairimu said.
In a separate incident, Lydia Wambui narrated how her son’s testicles were squeezed by his teacher while searching for a stolen watch which has led to him being hospitalized.
According to the pupil, his desk mate left a watch on top of his desk as they went to play but upon returning, it had gone missing. He then reported to the teacher who ordered a search on the four before squeezing their testicles. He added that he was squeezed twice leading to him developing complications and that he could not sit due to pain.
“My son schools at Joypot Primary school in Kamondo Githunguri sub county. I got a call from my parents while I was at work in Naivasha that my son had been assaulted by his teacher and needed to be taken to hospital as he was in pain,” Wambui said.
Wambui visited the school to inquire about the unfolding and was told that a watch had been stolen from a pupil and four boys were frisked but the watch was never found. She said his son was discharging blood while passing urine and he has been taken to Kiambu Level Five Hospital.
She added that the teacher was arrested and taken to Githunguri Police Station where he was arraigned in court but he denied assault charges.
The school director, she said, has since tried to convince her to settle the matter out of court.
Daniel Matheka Mwau, the school director confirmed the two incidents saying that the suspected teacher at Kawaida School has since fled after the incident while in Kamondo, the teacher known as Fred Okango has been arrested with the matter being in the hands of the police.
“The matter is out of our hands since the teacher has been arrested and arraigned in court,” Matheka said.
Appolo Kamau, a human rights activist said that he was approached by a parent over the school conducting outlawed corporal punishments and upon investigations; he found that indeed the punishments were being done in the two schools.
Kamau said that he has written to the Parliamentary Committee on Education and the Security Committee to address the matter for action to be taken against the school.
