Jackson Mobisa Marucha, the Riang’ombe SDA Primary School teacher who gained notoriety in March 2023 for violently caning a Grade Four pupil, is now set to be charged with attempted murder.
The decision to elevate the charges follows a recommendation by investigating officers, initially suggesting an assault charge, which was subsequently reviewed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
The case, which has sparked outrage across Kenya, will be mentioned on July 29 at the Keroka Law Courts in Nyamira County.
Marucha’s actions came to light when he brutally flogged the pupil 107 times after the child reported that his school uniforms had been stolen from a clothesline.
The assault resulted in severe injuries, including a significant loss of flesh from the boy’s buttocks, leaving him unable to sit.
In an attempt to cover up the severity of his actions, Marucha reportedly confined the boy to a dormitory and denied him medical attention.
The incident only came to public attention after the boy’s classmates informed his uncle, who had been previously barred from seeing him by the school administration.
