Former Gatanga CCM Secondary School Deputy Principal Elizabeth Wairimu Gatimu linked to the murder of a student in the school in 2019 has been arrested.
Wairimu who was arraigned in Kiambu Law Courts will be detained for seven more days as she undergoes mental assessment at Mathari Mental Hospital.
She will later be presented before a High Court Judge for plea taking.
This comes almost four years after the student identified as Ebbie Noelle Samuels died in school under unclear circumstances.
Speaking to Lynn Ngugi, Ebbie’s mum Martha Wanjiru says, though she will never get her daughter back, she is confident in the justice system.
The suspect’s arraignment signalled hope that Ebbie’s family could get justice after four years.
“I’m grateful to God and Kenyans for standing with me. It’s been hard but here we are. I don’t know whether I should be happy or sad. I will never get my daughter again but I will see the person who took her life away being put through the process of justice in this country,” Wanjiru said.
Investigations into the matter indicate that the late Ebbie was being punished for having a hairstyle that contravened the school rules.
Ebbie, who was just a month into her new school, was assaulted during evening preps some minutes before 9:00 p.m. Visibly wounded and in pain, the late retired to her bed immediately after but did not wake up the next day.
Detectives further said the school administration tried to intimidate and frustrate witnesses and the officers were forced to wait until the school closed for the March holidays to interview her schoolmates.
In April 2022, Kenyans joined Ebbie’s family in a peaceful walk to former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Harambee House office to demand action.
