Police arrest Headmaster, guards for killing student
SUMBAWANGA: POLICE in Rukwa Region have arrested head of St Kagwa Secondary School and two guards for allegedly killing a student, Novatus Mgeni (15) and injuring two others.
St Kagwa Secondary School, which is a co- educational school located in Sumbawanga municipality has two hostel facilities for boys and girls.
Rukwa Regional Police Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Mr Shadrack Masija confirmed the tragic incident saying it occurred at mid-night on March 23, this year at St Kagwa Secondary School.
The RPC named the trio suspects as Zacharia Mwasenga (47) Head of St Kagwa Secondary School, Michael Danasio (33) and Geofrey Simon (30) who are security guards.
Narrating the tragedy incident Mr Masija said on that material night the two guards who were on night duty caught Novatus and two other students jumping the school fence heading to girls’ dormitories.
“ St Kagwa Secondary School has two hostel facilities accommodating female and male students. The facilities are separated by fence,” said the RPC.
He added that after the two guards caught the students, they alerted the School Headmaster, Mr Mwasenga who arrived at the scene immediately.
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“The headmaster along with the guards punished the trio students harshly using wires … the conditions of the students worsened and were rushed to Sumbawanga Police Station and then to Rukwa Regional Referral Hospital for treatment,” he said.
The RPC added that the two students were treated and discharged the following day, but Novatus remained hospitalised.
He added: “The condition of Novatus deteriorated and he was moved to Mbeya Zonal Hospital for treatment but he succumbed to death while receiving treatment,” he explained.
The RPC said Police are continuing to interrogate the suspects and that they will be arraigned after completion of investigation.
In March, 2019, the High Court in Bukoba sentenced a Kibeta Primary School teacher, Respicius Mtazingira, to hang to death after finding him guilty of beating to death a Standard Five pupil, Sperius Eradius who was 13 when he was murdered.
It was established that Mtazingira committed the offence on August 28, 2018 after he canned the pupil and later beat him with another object, which led to the student’s death.
However, the court set free co-accused Herieth Gerald, 47, after failing to find her guilty of committing the offence.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Lameck Mlacha. In 2002, the government, through the ministry of education, issued Education Circular No 24 regarding corporal punishment.
The circular stipulates that only the head teacher is allowed to administer corporal punishment and that the punishment may be administered in cases of extreme misconduct or criminal offences committed either within or outside the school that undermine the school’s reputation.
