Girl disappears from home after being suspended from school

Pastor Charles Mwangi and his wife Mary Mwangi are looking for their 14-year-old daughter, who disappeared from home after being suspended from school.

Grace Wairimu vanished from home on January 9 after complaining of alleged frustration by a senior teacher.

The Form Three student at Peter Kibukosya Secondary School in Umoja II Nairobi was suspended on September 21, 2018, after she was allegedly found with drugs.

The suspension letter dated September 21 and seen by Standard Digital says the student, ADM No 1541, was using drugs and the school’s disciplinary committee resolved to send her away for drug testing.

After suspension from school, the girl’s father did not believe the school. He said his daughter does not use drugs.

However, to comply with the school’s directive and to ascertain the claims, he opted to take Wairimu to Mathari Mental Hospital for drug tests.

All the tests came out negative, as shown in the results below.

Mwangi took the results to the school in October but the school insisted that the suspension was still in place for three months. 

All this time, Wairimu was forced out of school and most of the time she kept to herself.

“She did not eat or talk to anybody in the house,” her father said.

Upon going back to school on reporting day of January 7, 2019, they were asked to come back the following day.

When they reported the next day, they were informed that the student had to repeat Form Three as she did not complete her end-year examinations.

“My daughter was very angry and started crying. She could not imagine herself repeating while her colleagues moved to the next class,” Mwangi said.

On January 9 she disappeared from home at 4pm.

The parents have been searching day and night for her.

“You can imagine the agony we are going through as parents as we have no idea where our daughter could be,” Mwangi said.

He reported the matter to the police, whom he hopes will trace Wairimu.

The man is seeking a lawyer to help him find justice for his daughter whom he believes has been psychologically traumatised.

“There is no doubt that the senior teacher contributed to the girl’s emotional anguish,” explains Mwangi.

He added that “even if she was found with drugs as alleged, the school should have found a better way of assisting her like counseling or calling parents to discuss the matter”.

Mwangi has written a complaint letter to the County Director of Education copied to the Teachers Service Commission and Education CS Amina Mohamed.

The school senior teacher said action was taken by the school’s disciplinary committee after Wairimu was found with drugs. The teacher said he was unaware of the girl’s disappearance.

He confirmed that the school had suggested that the girl repeats the class.

“I am sorry if the girl has disappeared, but we have procedures to follow in such cases. I believe each school has to follow rules.”