Headteacher found guilty of attempting to rape girl, 13, inside his office
A primary school headteacher who attempted to defile a 13-year-old pupil he had appointed as the school head girl is awaiting sentencing after he was convicted for the offence.
Daniel Otieno was found guilty of attempting to defile the minor – a class eight pupil at the school by a Makadara court.
He committed the offence inside his office on March 18, 2014, in Mukuru kwa Reuben area in Industrial Area Nairobi where he was the headteacher.
The prosecution called five witnesses to testify against him.
Otieno collected the Kiswahili answer sheets after the pupils sat for the tests and sent the victim to take them to his office and wait for him there. Thereafter, he sent the other pupils home and remained with the victim alone.
He walked into the office after all the pupils had left the school, partly undressed her and made the attempt but stopped after she attempted to scream for help.
Otieno had also been charged with committing an indecent act with a minor. He denied the charges throughout his trial.
But senior principal magistrate Angelo Kithinji convicted him of the charge and dispensed the indecent act charge.
“The court warns itself on the conviction of the accused person based on the evidence of the complainant. It, however, got a chance to observe her and satisfied itself that the victim was truthful and was not fixing the accused person due to a grudge,” Kithinji said.
Otieno had claimed that he was out of the school watching football and only returned at 6pm when all the pupils had left.
He claimed that he was being persecuted for declining to agree to a sale of the school to the government, which had offered Sh 1.5 million and the girl’s father was the school’s board chairman.
Kithinji ordered for Otieno’s social inquiry report, which will be availed to court once the courts re-open, before sentencing him.