Dr Richard Siele and his wife Emilly Chebet at the grave of their son in Eldoret
An inquest court in Kericho has ruled that two teachers be charged for causing the death of a pupil at St. Teresa Mixed Day and Boarding Primary School on September 27, 2022.
The body of Enock Kipkoech was found hanging inside one of the boys’ bathrooms at the school a few hours after he had been subjected to corporal punishment by teachers.
After hearing 23 witnesses, Senior Resident Magistrate Japhet Bii found that the two, Aaron Koskei and Phillemon Koskei, who administered the punishment, acted grossly in a manner that led to the death of the deceased, who was a Grade 8 pupil at the time.
“The body of the deceased had serious injuries on the buttocks. Aaron Koskei, who was his teacher, admitted having administered corporal punishment on the deceased just before the body was found hanging in the bathroom,” said the finding by Magistrate Bii.
He said the finding clearly indicated that there was foul play leading to the death of the minor.
Dr Richard Siele and his wife Emilly Chebet, at their home in Eldoret.
For his parents, Dr. Richard Siele, 51, and Emilly Chebet Siele, 50, it has been a harrowing experience as they fought hard seeking justice for their third-born child, whose sudden death continues to haunt the family emotionally, psychologically, and physically.
“Life has never been the same again. I never imagined losing my son in a school environment where I thought he was very safe. I took him there to learn, hoping he would come back successful, but I was devastated when I was called to go and pick a corpse,” said Dr. Siele.
Dr. Siele is a lecturer at Moi University and a gospel artist, while his wife is a pastor at the United Steadfast Fellowship Kapsoya in Eldoret City.
We found them at their home revisiting the grave of their son, which has overgrown with colourful flowers, perhaps symbolising the promising life of Master Kipkoech that was cut short suddenly.
Dr. Siele recalled how, on the 26th of the same month, his son had reported back to school for the third term full of joy and hope.
Two days later, on the 28th, he received a call from a teacher named in the inquest findings as Aaron Koskei, who informed him that his son had been unwell and was twice taken to the hospital.
Dr. Siele was later called and asked to go to the school with his wife. They immediately travelled and found no one to welcome them.
He decided to go to his son’s classroom, where he found a nephew of the deceased, who was in the same class.
“It’s the nephew who then told me that Kipkoech had been found hanging in a bathroom at the dormitory,” he said.
The nephew told Dr. Siele that he heard teacher Aaron telling Enock to go to the staffroom and lie down. The nephew narrated to Dr. Siele that Enock came back from the staffroom crying.
According to the nephew, teacher Aaron
followed Enock to the class and asked him to go to the bathroom, where he was
moments later found dead.
The DCI, after initial investigations, later —
through the ODPP — recommended an inquest to establish how the boy died.
The distraught family is still being haunted
by many questions as they push for justice for their son.
Dr. Siele wonders why the school management
did not inform him of the death immediately and refused to communicate with his
family.
“They have ignored us completely and never
even participated in the burial arrangements,” says Dr. Siele.
He says the body was removed from the scene
and taken to a private morgue without his family being informed.
“If my son had made a serious mistake, they
should have sent him home instead of administering corporal punishment, which
is illegal, and then killing him,” said Dr. Siele.
He claims there have been efforts to cover up
the truth, noting that the teachers should have been at least charged over the
illegal corporal punishment.
Chebet, on her part, regrets taking her son to
the school, which had been performing well and where her elder son had also
studied.
“Sometimes I look back and regret that I took
my son and handed him to people who were not teachers but devils,” she says.
The deceased, she says, was a jovial and
hardworking son with a vision to be a successful runner.
They hope the recommendation by the court will
be taken up so that the killers of their son are brought to book.
