Police in Nyamira, Kenya have launched an investigation following an incident where a primary school teacher allegedly flogged a grade four pupil, Titus Ondari Omwenga, at Riang’ombe Primary School.
According to a report by Nation Kenya, social media users under the hashtag Justice for Grade 4 Pupil have demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the teacher for contravening the Ministry of Education’s policy on corporal punishment.
Reports show that the 9-year-old pupil was assaulted last Sunday. His injuries were so severe that his teachers conspired to cover up the incident by keeping him in the dorm and denying him medical attention.
The boy’s uncle stated that his nephew was allegedly given 107 strokes of the cane after reporting the theft of his clothes from the residential dormitory.
The uncle received a telephone call from his brother, the boy’s father, who informed him of the injury and asked him to investigate.
“I received a telephone call yesterday after work. At around 7pm, my brother informed me from Nairobi that he had information that his son had been injured in school and asked me to go and verify the report,” the uncle said.
Curious about how his brother had discovered the injury of his son, the uncle was told that their youngest sibling had been in Manga for a sports event and had decided to visit the school, which was in the vicinity.
However, he was prevented from seeing him by teachers allegedly keeping round-the-clock surveillance to cover up the incident.
The uncle said the injured pupil had washed his clothes and left them to dry, but someone stole them.
The boy reported the theft, and the teacher in question allegedly became upset and called on other boys to pin him down while he administered the caning.
His injuries were severe, and he could not walk or sit up. After the incident was reported, the boy’s parents tried to speak with the school management, but the teachers allegedly hampered them.
His father reported the incident to Nyamira police station, but they were referred to Manga, where the incident took place.
The boy was treated at Nyamira County Referral Hospital, where doctors confirmed that he had severe injuries on his buttocks.
“We took the boy to Nyamira hospital and after we undressed him, we noticed the injuries were very severe to an extent that a huge tissue had been cut out of his buttocks as a result of the injuries,” said the uncle.
He has since been discharged and is recuperating at home.
