Shock as pupils shout down ‘false eulogy’, recount events leading to friend’s death

By Munene Kamau

Kirinyaga, Kenya: Emotions ran high at a funeral in Kirinyaga County after school boys shouted down a speaker over the contents of the eulogy of their fallen colleague.

One Mr Munge Muchiri had just began reading the eulogy of master Martin Muchiri Wambui and when he said their schoolmate had passed on due to sickness on April 2, they shot up and shouted, saying he had been battered to death by their teacher.

The eulogy read in part that, “The late Martin Muchiri Wambui fell sick on April 2 at Roka School and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.”

But his classmates shouted down the reader and told the shocked mourners to disregard the contents of the eulogy as their colleague was battered by their teacher as they watched in disbelief.

The reader had to cut short his speech and sat down as the shocked mourners murmured in low tones. One of the boys narrated the sequence of events leading to Muchiri’s death.

“kwa nini unasema uongo?, Mwalimu ndiye alimchapa Muchiri mara kadhaa kwa kijiti mpaka kikavunjika, akachukua kingine, akamchapa hadi akaanguka chini,” the boy claimed amid shock among the mourners.

Muchiri was being buried at his mother’s home at Kanjarara village near Kutus town yesterday.

The deceased boy was in Standard Seven at Roka Preparatory School, Mwea. The 13-year-old was the only child of a single mother, Ms Mary Wambui Muchiri.

The pupil was pronounced dead moments upon arrival at the Mwea Mission hospital sparking off unrest at the school.

Irate parents and members of the public rushed to the school baying for the blood of the teacher who is also the proprietor of the institution.

Anti riot police had to be called in after the mob threatened to burn down the boarding school while the teacher had to be sneaked out to escape the wrath of the enraged parents.