Students will be arrested due to unrest, says PS

Subordinate staff at Kisumu Girls see through a smashed window pane in the aftermath of a strike at the school. [File, Standard]

Students who cause riots and destruction of property will be arrested, Education PS Belio Kipsang said yesterday.

Even though Kipsang said there was a notable decline in cases of unrest in schools, he held that the students who engage in criminal activities should be treated as such.

He was speaking addressing a press briefing in Nairobi when he specifically pointed out the case in where students at Chalbi Boys High School in Marsabit attacked and injured six non-local teachers on Monday.

“Such actions aimed at blackmailing teachers and compromising the integrity of our examinations will not be condoned," Kipsang said.

His comments also came on the day Maranda Boys High School, in Siaya County, was closed indefinitely after student unrest.

The students were yesterday ordered to leave the school compound by security officers at around 4pm.

County Director of Education Masibo Kitui said they decided to send the students home following the tension that had been witnessed in the school since Tuesday.

"We got reports that the students had even printed posters expressing dissatisfaction with the administration," said Kitui.

According to the students who spoke to The Standard, the administration is using some rules they are not comfortable with because they are punitive.

"Our time for morning classes has been changed and the food is also not good," said one of the students.

The students are calling for the removal of the school's principal who joined the school last year.

This is the second time the school is being closed after fire razed a dormitory some five years ago.

Kyanguli mixed Secondary school, in Kibwezi, Makueni County was also closed yesterday due to students’ indiscipline.

According to Kibwezi sub-county Director of Education Dr. Kennedy Machora and as reported by the school head, students were stealing lab apparatus with the school girls claiming that it was the boys behind the theft.

After the reports were relayed to the teachers, they conducted search in in the boys’ dormitory where the stolen lab apparatus were found but they were puzzled after finding the students in possession of condoms in their boxes, liquor, paraffin in containers, and 20 mobile phones.

Following the confiscation, the form four students went on rampage beating the form ones, and destroying property of unknown value with demand for the collected phones to be returned.

Ngiya Girls High School in Siaya County was also closed indefinitely on Tuesday after students went on the rampage as they demanded the transfer of one of their teachers.

PS Kipsang said the Ministry would support any action preffered by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) against the teachers and students who were found culpable of provoking the criminal attacks in the schools.

Speaking on the Chalbi incident the PS said the attack could have been aimed at expanding on the issue on delocalisation of school management, which he said, would not be reviewed.

“We already made the decision and it is final. We agreed that all teachers shall be available to work in any part of the country and that shall remain,” he emphasised.

PS Kipsang also said there has been substantial improvement in managing unrests in schools which is usually a challenge in the second term.

“We have not had more than 30 cases of unrests with minimal number of fires this year,” he said.

The PS said the Ministry will encourage day schooling which he said has helped in reducing cases of student unrest.

Additional Reporting by Isaiah Gwengi and Steve Nzioka