City students caught with chang’aa on school trip deny charges
Seven students caught in possession of chang’aa last week denied charges of being drunk and disorderly at a Thika magistrate court on Monday.
The seven students from New Mwangaza Mixed Secondary School in Kariobangi, Nairobi, were arrested after police impounded the bus they were travelling in on Saturday morning at Witeithie shopping centre where they were found in possession of the traditional brew and other beverages.
The students denied charges of being drunk and disorderly before chief Magistrate Theresa Murigi.
Ms Murigi ordered that the students be freed after their parents sign a personal bond of sh1,000 for each one of them.
CHRISTIAN FAMILY
One parent told the court that his child had been brought up in a Christian family and thus not in any way guilty of the charges.
“I have brought up all my children in a Christian manner, the police must have arrested the wrong student,” said the parent, who further alleged that the police left out the teachers who had accompanied the students in the bus.
The same parent questioned the manner in which the police found the seven culpable of the offence while leaving a whole lot that was also in the bus that had carried excess passengers.
However, a police officer who did not want to be identified, said they only arrested the students who were too drunk and that their teachers had been arraigned in court alongside another group of persons who were facing similar charges.
INDECENT BEHAVIOUR
The students were travelling to Ol Ndonyo Sabuk for a school trip when the police impounded the bus they were travelling in after noticing some indecent behaviour going on in the bus.
“Why did the police not arraign in court the teachers who were arrested together with our children in the Saturday trip,” asked the bitter parent.