Teacher fails to stop investigative story on sexual abuse of students at national girls’ school

A long-serving teacher at a national girls’ secondary school in Kiambu County has failed in his bid to stop a media outlet from broadcasting an investigative story on alleged sexual misconduct with his former students.

The teacher identified as IKR moved to court in May seeking to block Africa Uncensored from broadcasting the investigative piece on alleged emotional manipulation and abuse of authority.

But Milimani magistrate Becky Mulemia Cheloti dismissed the application saying the court cannot shut its eyes to the evidence on record and the reality that cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of students by persons in authority are often under-reported, difficult to prosecute, and frequently silenced by power imbalances. 

The court said an injunction in such cases would have a chilling effect on victims, discourage whistle blowing and embolden impunity. 

“The child's interest in being heard, being protected, and living in a safe educational environment therefore outweighs the temporary discomfort of advanced media coverage, especially where it has been responsibly pursued,” said Ms Cheloti.

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The media outlet interviewed the former students describing a consistent pattern of what appeared to be grooming, emotional manipulation and abuse of authority by the teacher.

The accounts allege inappropriate relationships or physical encounters that began soon after the students completed their Form 4 examinations and occurred within the school compound and frequently at the teacher’s allocated house.

Africa Uncensored said the matters were allegedly reported to former principals of the school, but they discouraged the girls from escalating the complaints.

The teacher moved to court after he was contacted for a comment.

He said the media outlet had called and wrote letters to his family members, church and colleagues allegedly interviewing them about the sexual misconduct.

IKR said he was not aware of any formal complaints filed against him in any authority including his employer, regarding the allegations.

Boundary violations and manipulation

“The Plaintiff (IKR) will suffer irreparable harm characterised by potential loss of his job, reputational harm, damage and intense character assassination, which will cause him irreparable harm. As such this matter should be heard in camera and the file kept under lock and key,” said the teacher.

IKR added that it would be impossible to retract any content disseminated online, if his case is successful, noting the speed in which content circulates online.

But Ms Cheloti dismissed the application saying child protection is not a secondary consideration, it is a constitutional imperative, and where there are credible indications of systemic failure to uphold this imperative, ‘especially in educational institutions, the judicial lens must shift towards transparency, accountability, and safeguarding the vulnerable’. 

“The court shall remain vigilant to ensure that both media freedoms and individual dignity are respected, but it shall also not permit the law to be used as a tool to shield potentially serious misconduct involving children from legitimate public scrutiny,” said the magistrate. 

Two students who were still in school when the manipulation happened but the rest were involved soon after completing their examinations, but were still minors.

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According to the publication, the allegations against the teacher suggested boundary violations and manipulation that warranted deeper investigation. 

Mr John Allan Namu, who runs the investigative company said there was a systemic failure to protect the former students. 

“That I believe that the plaintiff’s application is an attempt to gag the media under the guise of protecting his reputation which is contrary to public interest and risks creating a chilling effect on investigative journalism, thereby shielding perpetrators of abuse from scrutiny,” he said.

In the ruling, the magistrate said balance should be struck between one teacher’s alleged reputational damage and whether vulnerable children need protection, whether victims of abuse can speak out and whether there should be accountability.

“The plaintiff has not demonstrated that the intended publication is manifestly false, recklessly indifferent to the truth, or motivated by malice. On the contrary, evidence shows that he was granted a right of reply and that the publication relates to matters of serious public concern, including the rights of children and institutional accountability,” said the magistrate. 

Ms Cheloti said whether the allegations are ultimately proved was a matter for trial.

“However, the mere existence of multiple consistent accounts involving students as deposed by the second defendant, supported by interviews and sworn statements, which brings the matter squarely under the purview of Article 53(2),” said the court.

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