City Affairs

Police detain school principal who set student on fire in Kawangware

Justice John Onyiego of the Garissa High Court said the sentence included the three years and seven months that Noor Ahmed Ismail was in custody during the trial. (Photo: EV)

By Joseph Ndunda | Friday, March 22, 2024

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives are holding a high school principal who allegedly tied a student before setting him ablaze in the school.

The principal is said to have doused the student with a yet-to-be-identified flammable substance before igniting the fire. The incident happened at a private school in Kawangware.

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The suspect was arrested on Thursday at the school, and the student was rescued while in flames.

He is in custody at Kabete Police Station, where he was remanded by Senior Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul of the Kibera Law Court after police constable Fred Ambasa of Dagoretti DCI offices obtained orders to hold him for 14 days pending investigations.

Two teachers who allegedly collaborated with the principal escaped and are being pursued by the DCI.

The 16–year–old student was rescued by police officers from Muthangari Police Station and members of the public after the student's mother called the police to report the incident.

"Police officers rushed to the scene and established that the principal and two teachers tied the student with a rope on both hands and sprayed a flammable liquid on him before setting him on fire, leading to serious burns on the chest, hands, and stomach," stated Ambasa in an affidavit filed at the court.

"The student was then rescued and rushed to a hospital in Kawangware, where he is admitted in critical condition. The principal was arrested, but the two teachers are at large."

Ambasa stated that police recovered the burned remains of the ropes used to tie the student together with his clothes, which will be used as exhibits in the case.

The detective told the court that the ropes and the partly burned clothes had been taken to the government chemist as investigations continued.

He also told the court that the student is still admitted to the hospital and is yet to record a statement about the incident.

The victim's treatment records will be obtained from the hospital to help in the ongoing investigations.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has said it is either going to charge the principal with attempted murder, causing grievous harm to the student, or both, depending on the outcome of DCI investigations.

The student's mother had received a call from members of the public that her son was being burned on accusations of stealing eggs and books at the school before she called the police, and her son was rescued. Those who witnessed the incident will be pursued to record statements with DCI and later testify in court against the principal and his colleagues should they be arrested.

The DCI says the principal is likely to interfere with witnesses if released on bond before the investigations are concluded.