Teacher canes pupil to death for skipping page in book

By Augustine Oduor

A nine-year-old pupil died after a teacher allegedly caned him for not using his exercise book properly.

Steven Kuria, a Standard Four pupil at Kangoya Primary School in Kiambu was allegedly beaten because he skipped a page while doing mathematics assignment.

The pupil’s father, Mr Daniel Ndung’u, said his son left home last Friday in good health, but returned in pain.

"The teacher had given the class an assignment. So when she asked them to show their books, she realised my son had skipped a page," he said.

He said the teacher made the pupil bend on the desk and beat him with a cane. "She beat him on the back until he could not walk well. We took him to Kiambu District Hospital, but they could not do much," he said.

On Thursday parents and the public demonstrated in the town to demand the teacher’s arrest.

Mr Paul Mwangi, another parent, said the teacher presented herself to Muthaiga Police Station to report the matter. The incident comes after Education Minister Sam Ongeri banned caning in schools and demanded that teachers who do the same be punished.

The minister instructed District and Provincial Education Officers to take stern action against any teacher who violates rights of children through caning.