School director faces attempted murder charges for 'setting student on fire'

A director of a school in Nairobi who allegedly tied a 16-year-old boy with ropes, doused him with a flammable substance, and set him ablaze is facing charges of attempted murder.

Amos Onyango Ombui was charged at the Kibera law courts with unlawfully attempting to cause the death of DM in contravention of section 220 (a) of the Penal Code on March 21, 2024.

"At Kings Favour Academy, in Kawangware within Dangoretti North Sub County, unlawfully attempted to cause the death of DM by tying him with a rope, assaulting, dousing him with a flammable liquid, and setting him ablaze," read the charges against Ombui in part.

DM and his schoolmate had jumped over the school's fence to gain entry at around 4 am to allegedly steal textbooks at the school where they were previously pupils.

But Ombui, who is one of the directors at the school, found them in one of the classrooms, where he raised an alarm and was joined by another director and the school watchman.

Ombui allegedly tied the two students with ropes and escorted DM to his parent's home, where they searched the home and recovered one tray of eggs suspected to have been stolen from the school and a bunch of duplicate keys.

Ombui, accompanied by the school watchman, is said to have been assaulting DM with a plastic pipe along the way and inside his parent's home during the search.

DM's schoolmate was still locked up inside a classroom at the school, where they were allegedly caught before stealing.

DM was later escorted to the school where Ombui allegedly tied and set him ablaze in the presence of a parent who was dropping a child at the school.

The parent and the watchman unsuccessfully tried to restrain Ombui from burning the student and they also used water buckets to pour water on the burning student.

The two, together with DM's schoolmate who survived, are listed as the star witnesses in the case against Ombui.

Ombui denied the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Monica Maroro of the Kibera Law Courts and pleaded for lenient bail and bond terms.

Ombui was released on a bond of Sh1 million and an alternative cash bail of Sh200, 000 before the case is mentioned on April 19 for a pre-trial.

DM is still admitted to a hospital in Kawangware. He was supposed to have been transferred to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) but this cannot happen as the doctors are on strike.