Ol Kalou voters are being bribed with cash, GOK mattresses and gas cylinders while state officials campaign with public resources. That's bribery - David Maraga
Today this woman came to my office with a very sad case seeking justice for her son, who is a student at Bookshine Academy School in Mwiki. The mother informed me that they had just come from the hospital where she had taken her son for treatment after he was allegedly brutally assaulted by the school principal together with five other teachers.
According to the mother and the young boy, the teachers alleged that the student was involved in a relationship with a girl in the same school. What is even more disturbing is that the school allegedly never informed or called the parents about what had happened to their child despite the injuries he sustained.
The young boy had a red eye, severe pain, and visible assault marks on his back. The mother also confirmed that an X-ray report from the hospital indicated that the boy sustained head injuries as a result of the alleged assault.
I personally called the school principal, who acknowledged that the incident happened and asked for forgiveness. He requested to sit down with the parent so that the matter could be resolved amicably. However, the boy alleges that the principal personally took the matter into his own hands and used excessive force on him.
It is also alleged that the principal had interest in the same girl the boy was allegedly in a relationship with, and therefore he may have been settling scores with the young boy instead of professionally handling the matter as a teacher and administrator. The student further stated that were it not for a CRE teacher who intervened and cried out for him, the assault could have continued.
Despite the apology from the principal, the mother could not accept it because her son is still in pain, traumatized, and recovering from the injuries he sustained. I advised the family on the proper legal and administrative channels to follow to ensure that the young boy gets justice.
Discipline in schools is important, but it should never reach the level of brutality, violence, or endangering the life of a child. Teachers are entrusted with the responsibility of guiding, mentoring, and protecting learners, not inflicting physical harm on them.
This matter will also be forwarded to the Ministry of Education for further investigations and action to ensure accountability and the safety of students in learning institutions.
My appeal to all teachers and school administrators is to always handle students with professionalism, restraint, and humanity. Let us discipline children through guidance and counseling, not violence and excessive punishment that leaves learners injured and traumatized.
Cyprian,
Can you imagine this?
From Utumishi Girls to ASTU Headquarters is barely a 4-minute drive.
UGA to NYS Gilgil is around 10 minutes.
UGA to Westcom Garrison is about 10 minutes away.
UGA to Gilgil Barracks is roughly 12 minutes away.
Yet despite being surrounded by all these security and emergency installations, we still lost 17 children because help took more than one hour to arrive.
What do we even call this? Negligence? Failure of emergency response? Complete breakdown of coordination?
It is heartbreaking knowing that these children were not isolated in some remote village with no access roads or communication. They were surrounded by institutions that should have responded immediately, yet precious time was lost as innocent lives slipped away.
Kenyans are now left asking painful questions: how does such a tragedy happen in an area with multiple nearby security and emergency units? Why did it take so long for assistance to reach children in distress? Could some of these lives have been saved if the response had been immediate?
The pain, anger, and frustration people are feeling right now is understandable. Families have lost children, parents are broken, and the country is mourning while serious questions about preparedness and response continue hanging unanswered.
The UK Embassy in Kenya has condemned the violence against unarmed protesters in Nairobi and called for a swift, independent probe into police conduct.