Silent Suffering: Pupil’s Testicular Injury by Teacher Over Watch
February 3 will forever be etched in J.M’s memory. The day began like any other day for the Grade Six pupil at Joypot Primary in Githunguri, but it quickly turned into a nightmare that would leave him scarred for life.
Joypot Primary is located in Kamondo, a remote village in Kiambu County, about five kilometers from Ikinu market. The school, has no signboard and even the gate is unmarked.
The 11-year-old boy with a soft-spoken voice limps and is visibly struggling with pain. He walks with his legs spread out, and occasional twinges of pain in his groin disrupt his day.
J.M’s ordeal began two months ago when one of his teachers tried to extract information from him about a lost wristwatch belonging to his desk mate. The teacher resorted to squeezing J.M’s testicles hard, causing him immense pain. The teacher was investigating the incident and had labeled J.M and three other boys as suspects.
Since that incident, J.M’s life has been filled with trips in and out of the hospital. The pain has kept him from attending school regularly, and he has started experiencing blood in his urine.
As a result, he spends most of his time indoors, either lying on his back watching TV or recording in a book the timing and intensity of his pain as instructed by the doctor. J.M’s family had to move to a new house in Kiambu town because his mother feared for their safety.
J.M recalls the traumatic incident when the teacher squeezed his testicles, causing him excruciating pain. He endured the ordeal silently as the teacher gripped his testicles tightly and looked at his face.
Unlike the first boy who screamed, J.M did not make a sound, so the teacher loosened his grip and squeezed again to inflict more pain. In the process, J.M’s left testicle slipped off the teacher’s hand, resulting in soft tissue damage as per the medical report.
The lost wristwatch was eventually found in another class, in the possession of a different boy. However, J.M did not immediately report the incident to his grandmother, with whom he lived, as he was unable to concentrate in class due to the pain. It was only five days later that he approached the same teacher who had molested him to seek permission for medical treatment.
J.M’s mother, Lydia Wambui, took him to Kiambu Level Five Hospital for pain management, but he was later transferred to a private facility on February 20. Medical records indicate that J.M was discharging blood and had suffered testicular dysfunction, a condition caused by injury and trauma to the testicles.
Lydia Wambui, who has had to take time off work to care for her son, expresses her distress at seeing her son in pain. She shares that J.M cries like a small baby when the pain strikes, and it hurts her deeply.
This is not an isolated incident at Joypot Primary. Another case of abuse by a teacher at the same school was reported on February 28, involving a Grade Three pupil. The teacher fled after realizing that he had been reported to the police.
When contacted for comment, the Director of the school, Daniel Matheka Mwau, told The Standard that he was out of town and would only provide a comment after returning to the school. However, subsequent attempts to reach him were unsuccessful as he was unavailable and could not be reached by phone.
JM’s mother informed The Standard that during their visit to a private hospital, they were provided with a pain management ointment and tablets for JM’s condition. She expressed concern that the frequency of pain attacks and blood in the urine may result in the removal of the affected testicle.
“We have been keeping a record of the frequency of pain as advised by the doctor in a book. But what shocked us was when the doctor said that if the pain persists as it is now, the affected testicle may need to be removed before it affects the other testicle, since they are connected by tissues,” she said.
Currently, JM and his mother are awaiting the doctor’s decision on whether the injuries will be treated or if the testicle will be removed. In addition, efforts to transfer JM to another school have faced obstacles, as the school has refused to provide a transfer letter and insists that JM return to the same school.
JM is apprehensive about facing the teacher who caused him immense suffering by squeezing his testicles.
Silent Suffering: Pupil’s Testicular Injury by Teacher Over Watch