High Court stops release of suspected defiler

Teacher Hillary Okeyo is accused of defiling his student. Photo/ FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 — The High Court has stopped the release on bond of a biology teacher accused of defiling a Form One girl.

Justice Ngenye Macharia has overruled the Chief Magistrate court’s decision to release Hillary Okeyo on bond for the reason that he could interfere with those identified to testify against him.

The High Court Judge says it is a real risk given the Highridge Girls Secondary School administration is yet to interdict him.

The orders are however temporary as Okeyo will be given a chance to defend his release on bond next week.

The biology teacher was released on a Sh500,000 cash bail on Friday by Chief Magistrate Daniel Ogembo.

A directive the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution challenged immediately thereafter in the High Court.

The suspect was charged on October 14 with defiling and committing an indecent act on a minor, which he denied.

READ: Teacher Hillary Okeyo charged with defiling student

It’s alleged that Okeyo defiled the 15-year-old but was protected by members of the school’s administration privy to the gross violation.

It was therefore days later that the girl was put on post-exposure prophylaxis, well beyond the 72 hour window, the school nurse having simply prescribed pain killers.

If the accusations are true, Okeyo was therefore left free to roam and prey on other students.

Reports of the suspected defilement only reached the Police after Highridge students staged a protest demanding justice for their colleague.

The girl’s mother told Capital FM News that she too only learnt of the incident after her daughter was taken to the Nairobi Women’s Hospital for post-exposure therapy.

“When they (school administration) were recording a statement on Monday that is when the police called me. Only to arrive there to be told my daughter had been taken to hospital and that she had been defiled. She was even taking ARVs,” the mother narrated as she paused to hold back her tears.

READ: Horror As Mother Learns Daughter Raped At School, Given ARVs

It’s alleged that the teacher defiled the girl in a school bathroom during evening preps.

About The Author

OLIVE BURROWS

With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.

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