The family and friends of Ebbie Noel Samuels, a student who died under mysterious circumstances at Bishop Gatanga CCM Secondary School in 2019, have led a march to the Ministry of Education (MoE) offices to demonstrate against the slow progress of Ebbie’s case.
The demonstrators, who are in pink t-shirts with Ebbie’s image, led the walk chanting, “Justice for Ebbie” at the top of their voices. The crowd attracted many onlookers who joined in the walk until they reached the gate of the MOE offices, where they demanded to speak to MoE Cabinet Secretary, Professor Magoha.
Unfortunately, the CS was not around, but the office was kind enough to send a representative to address the demonstrators.
The representative, identified as Bianca, assured the demonstrators, particularly the deceased’s mother, that the relevant officials were looking into the matter to fasten the progress. She told the grieving mother that she was welcome to visit the officers to learn about the progress.
https://twitter.com/NonieMG/status/1511936280870928385
However, her responses did not satisfy the demonstrators who wanted to know why the culprits had not yet been arrested, three years after Ebbie’s death.
Ebbie was a form one student at the time of her death, and she had only been at Bishop Gatanga CCM Secondary School for only a month.
The school’s administration told Ebbie’s mother that she fell from her bed, contradicting witnesses’ statements who claimed that the school’s deputy principal, Elizabeth Gatimu, had assaulted Ebbie on the night before her death.
We are standing in solidarity with #JusticeForEbbie. 3 years is too long a wait to seek justice. Our children deserve protection. @FredMatiangi @DCI_Kenya @ODPP_KE @EduMinKenya @StateHouseKenya pic.twitter.com/GYZYee93Tn
— Amnesty Kenya (@AmnestyKenya) April 7, 2022
Four hours before the justice march, the DCI office took to its official Twitter account to address the issue. The DCI’s statement indicated that the evidence points at Ms. Elizabeth, who beat Ebbie because she was wearing a hairstyle not allowed in the school.
The DCI claimed that the case’s progress had been slow because the school’s administration was not cooperative in assisting the investigations. The DCI accused the administration of intimidating witnesses, especially students who were around when Ebbie died. It assured Ebbie’s family and friends that the office had assembled all the details necessary to fasten the case and arrest the perpetrators involved.
Different people, especially the school’s alumni, have come out to disclose terrifying stories of the school’s brutality since Lynn Ngugi highlighted Ebbie’s story on her channel.
The calls for Ebbie’s justice are still undergoing with a hashtag, Justice for Ebbie.
