The Anchor April 2009

FOUR prefects at Ngelani secondary school have been suspended for criminal ac­tivities that sparked unrest at the school.
The unrest led to the pre­ma­ture closure of the school as tension rose considerably, with some of the violence victims seeking police intervention.
The Prefects are accused of beating and injuring students at the school. There had not been action from the school until the matter got out of hand and was reported to the police as students became restless in seeking to have the school administration take action.
It is alleged that the prefects assaulted the boys at the behest of the school ad­min­is­tration or at least with their knowledge, an indication that the man­agement had left a critical role of discipline in the school in the hands of prefects.
The school Principal Mr.Bernard Malonza said the four form four students will know their fate when they appear before the school’s Board at a date to be de­cided.
Machakos District Education Officer Mr Abdi Hussein says thorough investigations have been launched in the school to uncover the alleged systematic battering.
He said unspecified stiff penalties would be meted on either students or teachers found to be involved in the heinous crime that has ridiculed the school ad­min­is­tration. The worst it can get for the boys is ex­pulsion and possible pros­ecution. Teachers found culpable may face demotion and transfers, although action on the lines of der­eliction of duty could well land one in a court of law.
10 other students were sus­pended after they were alleged to have been planning to set the school on fire barely a fortnight after a dormitory in the school was torched by suspected ar­sonists who the principal alleged at the time were outsiders.
But events arising from the battering and its aftermath now suggest that the arson may have been a statement of protest from within the school. It could also be that the principal may be far removed from the events unfolding in the school he heads and questions must be asked if indeed he is up to the job of discharging the re­spon­si­bilities of Principal.
The systematic battering of students came into the lime­light when one of the battered and injured students Stephen Muendo escaped the beating and sought refuge at the Machakos Police Station as the school had become un­bearable. Police took him to the Machakos General hospital where he was treated and discharged.
Another student Anthony Munguti bore the pain and humiliation but did not report the matter to either the police or the school ad­min­is­tration until the press appeared in the school where he showed the bruises sus­tained during the beating at the prefects special cu­bicle.
According to Muendo an­other student Morris Mbatha with whom the trio were receiving corporal punishment was seriously wounded and fled to the safety of his home.
Mr.Malonza said he regretted the incident which he termed unfortunate, adding he had instituted investigations into the matter.
“I wish to confirm the four bullied the students, causing them bodily harm. The nec­essary action will be taken against the culprits by the school Board”, he said.
Even as they await board action, the mother to one of the victims Master Moses Mbithi, Ms.Rose Mbula was obtaining a P3 form from the Police with a view to seeking the State to commence criminal pro­ceedings to defend her son’s right to safety.
She said the best way to end criminal traits in schools was the due process of the law to be applied, adding that even as she was not averse to the need to cane boys, that role should never be ceded to other boys in the school unless the school ad­min­is­tration did not know what it was doing.
“It is totally unacceptable for prefects to beat other stu­dents”, said the mother who was accompanied by the son and his uncle, Mr. Peter Mutua.
Police confirmed the case had been reported to them and said investigations had been launched.
The boy claimed the prefects frog matched him into one their cubicles where they stripped him naked before pouncing on him with whips.
The boys who has scars all over his body said his attackers accused him of inciting other students against them.