Unrest: Students face prison life

• Twelve students charged with attempted murder.
• Most in Forms Four and Three.
• Students released on a Sh20,000 bond each.

Twelve students have been charged with attempted murder following riots and arson in secondary schools.

The students, all from Kabarnet High School in Baringo District, face life in prison if convicted.

The charges are the most serious to be brought against any student after the two weeks of countrywide unrest in schools which led to the death of one student at Nairobi’s Upper Hill School. The students were also accused of destroying school property.

Released on bond

Most of those in court are in Forms Four and Three. They denied the charges before resident magistrate Eston Nyaga and were released on a Sh20,000 bond each.

They will return to court on August 7 for the mention of their case before the hearing on September 8.

The charges arose from an incident which occurred on Wednesday when a Sh20 million dormitory was burnt at the school in Kabarnet.

Seven other students were charged with arson following incidents in other schools.

The tough measures announced by the Ministry of Education appear to have led to a reduction in the number of riots in schools.

Meanwhile, the National Council of Church of Kenya, which brings together all Protestant churches, and the Catholic Church called for compulsory religious studies in secondary schools as one way to instil moral values in students.

Religious studies are optional subjects.

However, the churches have differed over whether caning should be reintroduced in schools.

NCCK supports the re-introduction of corporal punishment but the Catholic Church opposes the proposal.

Elsewhere, Education minister Sam Ongeri hinted that the ministry was rethinking the idea of mock examinations.

Freed on bond

He spoke a day after Education permanent secretary Karega Mutahi directed that any students found guilty of planning or taking part in strikes be expelled and be denied admission to any other school in the country.

As the boys from Kabarnet High appeared in court, their colleagues from neighbouring Tenges Secondary were sent home following the indefinite closure of the school due to student restlessness in the past two days.

Baringo district education officer Eliud Wanaswa and district commissioner Khamasi Shivogo said the school managers were advised to close it and send the 570 students home because there was high tension among the learners.

In another case, a Form Two student was charged in a Nakuru court with preparing to burn a school.

Alex Bosire Moseti, 16, was allegedly found with three litres of petrol, a box of matches and a sweater that had been soaked in petrol with the intention of committing a felony.

However, the Njoro Boys’ High School student was charged with breaking window panes at the school. He denied the charge and was released on a Sh20,000 bond with surety in similar amount.

In Thika, three students from a private girls’ secondary school were on Thursday charged with setting a dormitory on fire.

The Form One and Form Two students of St Michael’s Secondary School denied the arson charge.

The three, jointly with others, set fire to a dormitory valued at Sh1.5 million on Tuesday.

They were each freed on a Sh20,000 bond with a surety in similar amount or a cash bail of the same amount. The case will be heard on September 18.

Attempted arson

Three students were charged with attempted arson in a Karatina court as three schools in Mathira Division were closed.

Isaack Rwigi Mwangi, Raphael Gichohi Gatheru and James Kiama Maina were accused of attempting to set on fire the dormitories at Kiarithaini Secondary School.

They denied the charges and were freed on bail of Sh50,000 with a surety in similar amount each. Their case will be heard on September 22.

In a related incident involving the same school, 60 Form Four students stormed out of the institution yesterday, just before the mock examinations started. Police said the students walked out after three of their colleagues were arrested.

In neighbouring Mathaithi Secondary School, 30 students were sent home indefinitely for allegedly planning a strike.

At another neighbouring school - Kiangoma Secondary - four students were suspended for allegedly inciting their colleagues.

And in Nakuru, Njoro Girls Secondary School was closed after students marched out of the institution at 2am.

They were protesting against poor diet, suspension of their colleague and alleged failure by the school administration to address issues affecting them.

Some of them were later picked up in Nakuru and Njoro towns and taken back to school.

Those who had reached home were taken back by their parents.

Meanwhile, the Laikipia East district education board has called for a meeting today to address the rising number of school riots

No sympathy

The meeting, to be chaired by district commissioner Daniel Nduti, will also be attended by members of the board of governors of various schools and their parents/teachers association counterparts.

Out of the 16 schools in the district, seven have been closed.

Mr Nduti said any student caught engaging in acts of arson or destruction of school property would be treated as a criminal.

“We shall no longer sympathise with these unruly students... Anyone caught will end up in prison,” the DC said.

And in Nanyuki, a private secondary school was closed after students attempted to burn a science laboratory.

Quick action by the administration saved the situation after the students of St Xavier Academy sneaked in a bottle of petrol which could have used in setting the building ablaze.

Burn staff room

The deputy principal, Ms Ann Maina, said a tyre which had been sprinkled with petrol was found in the ceiling of the laboratory.

And in Nyanza, 11 students of St Joseph’s Rapogi High School, which topped KCSE examination in the province last year, were arrested for allegedly planning to burn the staffroom and laboratory.

The Form Three students were picked up by the police after teachers found them with five litres of petrol.

The headboy was sent home indefinitely.

Reported by Kibiwott Koross, Kennedy Masibo, Stephen Munyiri, Noah Cheploen.