Five charged with murder over death of St Augustine School pupil

St. Augustine Preparatory School head teacher, Kesi Sarah, and four others have on Wednesday denied murder charges levelled against them over the death St Augustine Preparatory School pupil in July.

The seven-year-old pupil, Jeremy Masila, died after he fell through a hole in the base of the bus while en route to school.

The five suspects, Kesi Sarah, Venant Mwaliko Mwasaru, Vald Mbadi, Abednego Fundi and Charo Kazungu were arraigned in the Mombasa High Court after prosecution presented a health assessment report ordered by the court.

Ms Shally Masila, the pupil’s grandmother, blamed the school administration for Jeremy’s death, accusing them of negligence.

“I know there are accidents, but not this one. If the headmaster had taken precautions, the accident wouldn’t have happened and if they had informed us that the bus was not in a good condition, we would have taken alternative transport,” said Ms Masila.

Following the death, a probe was conducted by the National Transport Safety Authority revealing that the hole had been covered using a PVC carpet.

His death caused a national outrage as Kenyans raised concerns about the safety of their children.

The five denied the claims before Justice Dorah Chepkowny.

Bail ruling has been set for Thursday,  September 21.