A teacher has denied breaking his pupil’s ankle and forcing the boy to have a plaster on the injured leg removed before a scheduled medical review.
The Standard Eight pupil wrote the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination last week.
The plaster was removed two days to the examination and he was forced to wear closed shoes by the teacher, a court was told.
The boy’s mother said the manager and director of Aimeel Preparatory School in Ruiru, Mr Chrispine Oluoch Onyango, got rid of the plaster and crutches four days before conclusion of the national tests in an attempt to tamper with evidence.
The teacher, who reportedly assaulted the boy on March 14, was arraigned for grievous harm in Thika on Friday last week. He denied the charge and was freed on Sh100,000 cash bail.
In an affidavit, the woman said school manager attacked her son, who sustained serious injuries as shown in an X-ray on the right leg.
“There is a greenstick fracture of the distal tibia. There is also a dislocation of the right ankle due to reduced joint space. Soft tissue swelling noted around the ankle,” reads the March 26 affidavit.
She said she took her child to Ruiru Hospital where a cast was put on the broken leg, adding that he was given crutches.
The woman told the Thika magistrate’s court that the teacher took her son to another hospital without her consent and had the plaster removed and the crutches taken.
“On March 20, the accused and the school matron forced my child to go to Ruiru X-Ray Centre where the plaster was removed and crutches confiscated. My son protested as he was still in pain,” she said.
She said the teacher knew the child would be concluding his KCPE tests on March 24 and needed to act swiftly before the parent came for him.
She wants to know why the school did not consult her before the removal of the plaster or taking the boy to Ruiru Hospital where he was expected to appear for a review.
“The reason the school hurriedly removed the plaster and took the crutches was to ensure the child’s photos were not taken to show the extent of the injuries,” she told the court.
The woman added that another child was assaulted before her son was injured at the same school. She said the other child had convulsions but was not as badly injured as her son.
The complainant expressed fears of witnesses being interfered with, “owing to the accused’s position”.
She also said her son could be victimised and frustrated when he goes for his KCPE test results, leaving certificate and other documents needed to join high school.
The parent filed the complaint against the teacher at Matangi-Ini police post. The case will be heard on April 20.
