School driver, teacher in court for negligence after five-year-old jumps from moving van

A Nairobi school driver and a teacher are facing charges of negligence after a five-year-old child jumped out of a school van and sustained serious injuries.

Tom Stafford Otendo, the school driver, and Joan Okumu are accused of committing a negligent act causing harm, contrary to Section 244 of the Penal Code.

They are separately charged with unlawfully failing to supervise children in a moving motor vehicle, a school van that was under their care.

The prosecution says the pair’s negligence led to injuries sustained by the female child, identified in court documents as S.A.M.

The child fell from the school van while heading home and sustained injuries. She was rushed to a local clinic before being transferred to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Embakasi, Nairobi.

The minor underwent a minor surgical procedure and is still recovering from her injuries.

The matter was later reported to the police, and the two accused, who were identified as being responsible for the alleged negligence, were arrested.

Police officers visited the minor in the hospital several times during the course of the investigation.

The two suspects denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate Stephany Bett of the Makadara Law Courts. They were released on a cash bail of Sh10,000 pending trial.

They are accused of failing in their duty to ensure the safety of the children in the vehicle.

The case will be mentioned on October 7 for a pre-trial and the scheduling of hearing dates.

Other Topics To Read

• Headlines
• Education
• crime
• Road Accident
• Children
• school van
• School driver
• teacher in court for negligence after five-year-old jumps from moving van