Court pushes pupil's corporal punishment case to next month

Teachers; Adelaide Athaka Majoni, Vincent Kadasia Mbakaya, Argedius Lubembe, Victor Andove Achesa, and Eglay Lungatso Lilungu in the dock. [Mumo Munuve, Standard]

A court in Kakamega has postponed the hearing of a case where five teachers are charged with beating a pupil, leaving him with bruised testicles.

Kakamega Senior Resident Magistrate Vienna Amboko halted the testimony of Caroline Khamali, the mother of the assaulted minor, ruling that she needed to regain her composure before continuing her testimony.

"I understand she is the mother of the complainant in the case and she has been provoked to a point of turning too emotional as she recounted the developments surrounding her child's injuries to continue testifying," Ms Amboko said.

She added, "Because of that, I feel that we adjourn the hearing to September 22, 2023, when I believe she would be sober of mind to give her side of the story. The prosecution should as well bring the schoolmates of the injured child to testify."

Mrs Khamali, who is also a teacher at a different school, sobbed and wailed in court while describing how five teachers at the school in Shinyalu constituency attacked her son, inflicting severe punishment when lesser measures could have sufficed.

"One teacher was enough to discipline the boy for whatever crime he had committed, including possessing a phone in school. Beating him in a staff room mob and targeting his manhood was very wrong," she said.

"Someone wanted to rob my 12-year-old only son of his future, the grown-up teachers wanted to have him stop bearing children. Tell me, why would a grown-up do that to the son of another? Why my son? You should have assaulted me rather than do that to my only son!"

The teachers - Adelaide Athaka Majoni, Vincent Kadasia Mbakaya, Argedius Lubembe, Victor Andove Achesa, and Eglay Lungatso Lilungu - are currently on bail of Sh200,000 each, with strict orders not to interfere with their pupils, who are crucial witnesses in the case.