Recreational park owners, teacher charged over death of five KCPE candidates
A signboard for the Amazement Park in Ainabkoi Constituency, Uasin Gishu County, on the night of October 28, 2023, where five Kenya Certificate of Primary Education candidates from Arap Moi Primary School drowned in a man-made dam during an outing.
What you need to know:
- The three were charged after detectives completed more than five months of investigations and forwarded the file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
- The children, who were candidates from Arap Moi Primary School, drowned in a man-made dam at the park during a recreational tour ahead of their final year exams
- The couple was also charged with operating a boat without a license, contrary to Section 57 read with Section 429 of the Merchant Shipping Act of 2009
The couple owning a recreational park in Uasin Gishu County where five 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates died in a boat accident last October have been charged with negligence and recklessness, alongside the deputy headteacher of the learners’ primary school.
The three were charged after detectives completed more than five months of investigations and forwarded the file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The children, who were candidates from Arap Moi Primary School, drowned in a man-made dam at the park during a recreational tour ahead of their final year exams.
Nickson Koimur, his wife Beatrice Kigen, and Arap Moi Primary School deputy headteacher Judy Chesang were Tuesday jointly charged before Eldoret Principal Magistrate Maureen Kesse with negligence on Section 243 of the Penal Code.
The charge sheet stated that on October 28, 2023, at Amazement Park in Ainabkoi Sub-County, their negligence caused the deaths of Caleb Chirchir, Godwin Sitienei, Abel Kipkemoi, Anthony Kiptoo, and Evans Kiplimo.
The five were rushed to Burnt Forest Hospital but were confirmed dead and the bodies were moved to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.
The couple was also charged with operating a boat without a license, contrary to Section 57 read with Section 429 of the Merchant Shipping Act of 2009; operating without appliances contrary to the Merchant Shipping of Small Vessels Safety of 2012 and also, operating a vessel without an approved plan, contrary to shipping regulations.
The court heard that on diverse dates between 2018 and 2023, at Amazement Park, the couple operated a boat in rough water conditions without an approved vessel building plan in contravention of the law. They all denied the charges and through their lawyer, Oscar Oduor.
The court released them on a Sh1 million bond, with an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000 each. The matter will be mentioned on April 29.
