Students released on bond

A court has ordered for the release  on hefty bond  five students from Kerugoya Girls secondary school charged with arson .
Kerugoya Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku ordered that the students be released on sh 200,000 bond each and sureties of same amount .
The  Magistrate however said the students who are aged between 16 and 18 could still be released on sh 50,000 cash in lieu of the hefty bond.
It also emerged from a Probation Officer the court had assigned to exermin their social status that two of the students were in school courtesy of fees paid by  their respective Constituency Development Fund (CDF) .

The court further directed that the criminal  matter  be mentioned on December 2 at court 4  for a  pre -trial .
The prosection led by State Counsel  Beatrice Muthoni had earlier asked the court to impose hefty bond condition  with similar sureties to ensure the accused did not abscond court attendance when required to do so until the matter was heard and determined.
The alleged offence was said to have been committed on Nov 15 within the school compound.
They have denied that on said date within Kerugoya Girls secondary school, Kirinyaga County set on fire a school dormitory   whose value is still to be established.
Parents and close relatives of the charged students camped at the law courts until shortly after 4 pm when the release  order  on bond was granted.
It was not clear if the parents were able to secure bond for their kin by this evening.