First Lady angered by rape in schools

• She accuses Knut of failing to discipline rogue teachers

First Lady Lucy Kibaki on Sunday criticised the national teachers’ union over its inaction in disciplining rogue members involved in rape.

A brief from State House Nairobi said the First Lady was saddened that the Kenya National Union of Teachers remained quiet while teachers went about raping pupils.

Some of these teachers who are raping our girls know that they are infected with HIV/Aids and think that they can be cured by engaging in reckless sex with minors,” said Mrs Kibaki.

“I am extremely concerned that in this day and age the teachers’ body has not found it necessary to condemn some of their members who have been found to engage in this vice.”

But Knut secretary-general Lawrence Majali told the Nation that it was not the work of Knut to discipline errant teachers.

Mr Majali said that was the responsibility of the Teachers Service Commission, the government agency which employs teachers.

He denied that Knut had been silent about rape by teachers.

“We adhere to professional ethics and have always admonished all errant members in our meetings...Knut has not been silent,” said Mr Majali.

The First Lady attributed the rise in rape cases to inadequate laws to address sexual offences.

She appealed to MPs to come up with more punitive penalties for rapists.

Mrs Kibaki also added her voice to the public furore that followed the recent release pending appeal of former Java boss Jon Cardon Wagner.

Sexual offenders

“How can somebody who is a proven rapist be released back to society? Even 20 years is not enough of a sentence. These sexual offenders deserve life imprisonment,” she said.

Her statement echoed that of Ms Njoki Ndung’u, a lawyer and architect of the Sexual Offences Act, who said she had written to the Attorney General questioning Wagner’s release.

“The spirit of the Sexual Offences Act is to protect and deliver justice to victims, not to facilitate offenders,” said Ms Ndung’u, a former nominated MP, as soon as Wagner was released from prison pending appeal.