Kisumu Day under probe over sodomy claims

Kisumu Day secondary school entrance in a picture taken on March 08,2017. The school has suspended five male students over sodomy allegations that has rocked the institution. the five include Christian Unions chair and the school head-boy. (Photo: Denish Ochieng/ Standard)

The Ministry of Education is investigating claims that a student at Kisumu Day Secondary School was sexually molested.

A Form One student at the school is reported to have been sodomised last weekend by five students whom he has identified.

The five have since been suspended and instructed to report back to school next week accompanied by their parents, when the school's Board of Management will hear the matter.

The incident comes barely three years after the ministry approved the establishment of a boarding section in the institution.

According to a parent at the school, the five suspects include two prefects.

The victim reported that he suffered repeated sexual molestation from the suspects, which he claimed was common in the school.

"The boy confessed that the act is common and that he had repeatedly been sodomised. He now wants to leave the school," said the parent.

Yesterday, area education sub-county officials visited the school and spent hours taking statements from students linked to the incident, either as witnesses or suspects.

The officials said they were also digging deeper into other cases which may have not been reported.

School Principal Gordon Muga, however, declined to comment on the matter, saying it was being handled at a higher level. 

"We have education officers in the school on the same matter, and you can approach them to talk to you," he said.

Similar cases

Kisumu County Director of Education Sabina Aroni confirmed she had sent officers to the school to investigate the matter.

"Our officers are on the ground and they will brief us on what they have found out before we can know which direction the matter is taking," she said

She urged students and parents to report similar cases to education officials as soon as they occur.

"It is difficult to find out if such acts are going on in schools if victims do not come out to report," she said.

Ms Aroni said her office was working on a county-wide operation which will focus on cases of sodomy.

The sodomy claims come barely a month after similar allegations surfaced at Maseno School, which saw a Form One student transfer to another school after claiming that he was sodomised by his seniors.

Even though the ministry failed to ascertain whether the claims at Maseno were true, parents of the affected student have since transferred him to another school in Meru.

The Teachers Service Commission has also written to the school's principal, demanding an explanation on the matter.

It also comes a week after the ministry released a damning report on bullying at Alliance Boys High school that raised a national outcry.