Teacher convicted for beating pupil with a pipe

Jul 11, 2015

KITOKA Opio, a teacher of Minaka Primary School in Makindye was convicted and sentenced to community service of 120 hours or serve 2 years in prison

By Michael Odeng and Barbra Kabahumuza

 

GEORGE Watyekere the Makindye Court Grade One Magistrate has convicted a 25-year-old teacher of assault for beating a pupil with a metallic pipe.

 

Kitoka Opio, a teacher of Minaka Primary School in Makindye, a city suburb was convicted and sentenced to community service of 120 hours or serve 2 years in prison upon failure to perform the task. He was convicted on his plea of guilt.

 

"You will do community service work at the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) offices at Makindye for 2 hours daily until 120 hour elapse," Watyekere ordered.

 

Community service is where a convict is forced to perform manual labour like digging, cleaning public facilities such as schools, collecting garbage among other chores.

 

The magistrate gave the convict a lesser sentence, saying he was a first time offender and was remorseful.

 

"Since you have asked for forgiveness from the child and his mother plus the school management I will give you community service sentence," Watyekere said.

 

According to prosecution, Opio, a resident of Makindye Mubarak Zone beat Jeremiah Magezi ten strokes on the buttocks with a metallic pipe used for plumbing after he failed to complete an assignment. The pupil suffered injuries and bled profusely.

 

Opio appeared before court and pleaded guilty to the charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The charge is derived under section 236 of the Penal Code Act (PCA).

 

"I did not intend to harm the pupil. Please forgive me for whatever happened," Opio asked in the presence of the victim and his mother.

 

Prosecution led by Beatrice Odongo says that the teacher on July 8, 2015 at about 4PM at the school premises unlawfully assaulted Magezi and inflicted harm on his body.  

 

Odong says that the teacher in the course of duty gave the victim an assignment and when he checked the book, the pupil had not done some assignments.

 

The matter was reported to the parents, who in turn reported the case to the police and Opio was arrested and charged with assault before court.

 

The Ministry of education recently banned corporal punishments in schools and colleges, citing physical torture and injury on students and pupils. 

 

This applies to any other form of punishment or act that may cause injury, damage, defilement of disfigurement to the human body.

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