Court finds teacher guilty of corporal punishment

A primary school teacher has been found guilty of unleashing corporal punishment on Class One pupil and injuring him at a Nairobi school four years ago.

Ms Catherine Karanja was accused of injuring the schoolboy on the head at Vetlab Primary School for reporting to school late.

She was tried for causing grievous harm to the minor but the court found her guilty of assault.

BANNED

Four witnesses testified in the case among them the pupil’s parents who had escorted him to school when he was beaten by her teacher using a stick.

“This is a straight forward case. You contravened the law and guidelines of your profession. You went ahead to mete corporal punishment to a pupil knowing that the same had been banned,” Elizabeth Juma, the magistrate said in her judgment.

She said the child identified the teacher positively, the parents saw her attack the child and a doctor’s report indicated that he was assaulted using a stick causing injuries to the head.

“You did not bother to enquire from the parents why the child reported to school late. You should have given him alternative punishment as required by the law,” the magistrate said.

He rejected Ms Karanja’s assertion that the child’s parents had complained severally that their son had been attacked by fellow pupils.

In mitigation, Ms Karanja said she was remorseful and pleaded for a non- custodial sentence so as the save her job.

“I am sorry for what happened. It was an unfortunate incident in my 30 year service as a teacher. I will not repeat the same,” she said.

She said she is a widow and sole breadwinner of her family. “I have since been transferred from the school to a hardship area. I am remorseful,” she said through a lawyer.

The court ordered for a pre-sentence report to be presented on July 13 when she will be sentenced.