Kakamega: Woman whose son’s genitals were allegedly crushed by 5 teachers breaks down in court

A Kakamega court session was on Tuesday suspended after a woman turned emotional during the hearing of a case in which five teachers are charged with ‘crushing’ her son’s genitals in school.

The woman was overwhelmed by emotions while giving her testimony in the case where the five teachers are accused of assaulting the minor, leaving him nursing wounds on his private parts.

The boy was subjected to corporal punishment after he was reportedly found in possession of a mobile phone while in school on October 19, 2021.

Caroline Khamali, also a teacher at a separate school, found herself wailing and crying in court owing to the nature of the punishment meted on her son by the teachers of the Shinyalu constituency-based school.

“One teacher was enough to discipline the boy for whatever crime he had committed, including possessing a phone in school. Beating him in a staffroom mob and particularly targeting his manhood was wrong,” she said.

“Someone wanted to rob my only son of his posterity, the grown up teachers wanted to have him stop bearing children, tell me court, why would a grown up do that to the son of another, why my son?  You'd rather have assaulted me than my only son!”

The 45-year-old woman’s emotions went a notch higher when the lawyers of the teachers presented to the court what she termed as “fake letters.”

The correspondence in question, which bore her signature, included a written apology by her son – who is also the school head boy – where he repents to his teachers and mother for stealing and possessing three phones, and even selling another to a fellow pupil at Ksh.500.

Yet another of the letters that also bore her sign reportedly bound her not to proceed with the case of the alleged assault beyond the school gates.

“I don't know the letters, I did not append my signature on such, you can't hurt my child and box me further by these fake letters,” she said when being cross-examined by lawyer Musa Nandwa.

The prosecution, led by lawyers Emily Owora and Michelle Omwoyo, equally objected to the presentation of the papers saying they were filed behind their backs.

“We need to take the papers for forensic audit to gauge their authenticity, as far as we are concerned we never supplied the defense with the said two documents,” said lawyer Omwoyo.

The lawyer went on to tell the court that even though the matter had to be speedily heard for the sake of the child, Ms. Khamali was not in her right sense of mind to proceed with her testimony.

She said the teachers who were charged with administering corporal punishment and grievously hurting the minor’s genitals would not suffer any prejudice by the adjournment.

Senior Resident Magistrate Viena Amboko stopped Ms. Khamali's testimony on the grounds that she needed to be emotionally stable before proceeding.

“I understand she is the mother of the complainant who is the minor injured in the case and she has been provoked to a  point of turning too emotional as she recounted the developments surrounding her child’s injuries,” ruled Magistrate Amboko.

“Because of that I feel that we adjourn the hearing to September 22, 2023 when I believe she would be of sober of mind to give her side of the story. The prosecution should as well bring the schoolmates of the injured child to testify.”

The five teachers; Adelaide Athaka Majoni, Vincent Kadasia Mbakaya, Argedius Lubembe, Victor Andove Achesa and Eglay Lungatso Lilungu, are out on a Ksh.200,000 bond with strict instructions not to interfere with their pupils who are key witnesses in the case.