Ex-Gatanga CCM deputy principal on murder charge denied bail

A Kiambu High Court on Thursday denied former Gatanga CCM secondary school deputy principal Elizabeth Wairimu Gatimu bail citing witness interference.

Kiambu High Court judge Peter Mulwa while ruling on an application by the accused to have her released on bail said the accused should remain in custody, until the key witnesses out of the 13 listed by the prosecution have testified.  The accused can then reapply for bail.

“After valuation of all the materials placed before me and submissions by counsels and the prosecution, demonstrated of a possibility of witness interference by the accused and more so, the witnesses are still under direct supervision at the workplace by the virtue of the accused being deputy head of the school at the CCM Gatanga Secondary School.  In the circumstances, I find compelling reasons to deny the accused bail,” Mulwa said.

He added that the witnesses should be served if the prosecution is allowed to call all the 13 witnesses it considers key, who have been isolated to testify in the case before admitting the accused to bail

“This will guard against threat to and against interference of witnesses. The accused may apply for a review for bond application at a later stage in the trial,” Mulwa said.

The hearing  will commence on June 27, 28 and 29.

The former Principal  was in February this year charged with murder of Ebbie Noelle Samuels, who died at the school in 2019.

Ebbie is alleged to have been assaulted severely by a senior administrative member of the school on allegations of styling her hair contrary to school regulations.

Ebbie was a Form 1 student at the school, which has since been renamed to St Anuarite Gatanga Girl’s school, and was assaulted during evening preps some minutes before 9pm.

On March 20, 2019, Ebbie's mother Wanjiru received a call from the school informing her that the daughter was unwell and had been taken to a nearby hospital.

When she got to Naidu Hospital in Thika, she found the body of her daughter with a swollen stomach.

"Upon inquiring, the school told me that Ebbie had fallen off from her bed at night and was rushed to the hospital," she said then.

"The hospital however told me that my daughter had been taken there already dead."

After the story was featured in the media, Ebbie's classmates came out to disclose that the deceased had been badly beaten by the school deputy principal the evening she was found dead.

Detectives' investigating the matter indicate that Ebbie was being punished for having a hairstyle that contravened the school rules.