One student was hacked to death and several others are still
missing while more than 40 were treated in hospital and discharged after
a gang attacked a school in Dagoreti in Nairobi.
The
attackers gained access to St Charles Mutego Education Centre, a private
mixed secondary and primary school, at midnight using a broken wooden
fence and went directly to the dormitories where they ordered all
students to come out.
The deceased, a Form One student,
was admitted to the school last week together with the rest of the form
and was set to start learning this week. The student was killed outside
the school compound while fleeing to a nearby forest. The body was
taken to City Mortuary.
“The attackers who were armed
with crude weapons stood at the main door of the dorm and order the door
to be opened before they directed us to get out. They used timbers and
pangas to hit us one by one,” said one student.
The
students said the attackers who had covered their faces were merciless
as they hit the students indiscriminately and even stepped on some girls
who had collapsed.
The students added that after
attackers ensured that most students were out of the dormitories they
continued to drive them out of the school as other fled to nearby Ngong
forest.
“I was hit on the back with a panga before I
took off and I thank God that am alive though with some pains,” said a
student, who explained that the attackers used planks of wood used for
construction and repair at the school as weapons with which to hit them.
Mr Simon Ndiami, was one of the parents who had no idea on the whereabouts of his son, Isaac Lesile.
“I
have checked with the school and have not seen my son so I am going to
the police station to report the matter before I continue with the
search together with my friends,” he said.
The director
of the school, Charles Nyamute, said that he left the school at 11pm to
go home only to receive a phone call later that students had been
attacked.
“I do not know the motive of this attack on these innocent students,” said Mr Nyamute.
The school has about 1,000 learners in total.
INSIDE HELP
The
school principal Bonface Makori alleged that a number of students at
the school had aided the attackers in accessing the dormitories.
“We have information that some students joined the attackers and even facilitated their exit from the school,” said Mr Makori.
He
criticised parents who he claimed were not willing to divulge more
information about their children while seeking admission at the school.
“As
parents let us learn to be truthful and tell the school management so
that we know the true characters of the children we admit in this
school,” he said.
The centre, which is situated a few
kilometers from Lenana School, is now set to a hold parents' meeting on
Wednesday to decide on the next course of action.
Most
of the parents said that their children arrived at home in the wee hours
of the morning while others used friends' phones to call home.
The
school management said that several parents had reported their children
as missing and the school was working with the police in order to track
them.
Several arrows and bows that had been used by the attackers were discovered in the compound.
Parents
who spoke on condition of anonymity accused the management of failing
to ensure security at the school, instead concentrating on admitting
more students than the facilities could handle.
“This
place is too congested and filthy and we hope that the management of the
school will create a better learning environment,” lamented one parent.
The number of attackers could not be ascertained as police said they were more than 50 while students said they were about 30.
No comments:
Post a Comment