National School Closed Indefinitely After Students Riot Over Exams and Management Issues
St. Patrick’s Iten Boys High School in Elgeyo Marakwet County has been shut down indefinitely following a violent student protest that led to massive destruction of school property.
According to reports, the chaos started after students strongly opposed taking the scheduled end-of-term examinations. In response to the rising tension and destruction, the school administration made the decision to send all students home as a safety measure.
Alice Sitienei, the Keiyo North Sub-County Director of Education, confirmed the incident and explained that the students went on a rampage inside the school compound.
During the protest, they damaged buildings and other infrastructure as they expressed their frustrations about the exams.
Additional reports suggest that the school’s principal had come under heavy criticism from both students and other concerned stakeholders.
They accused him of failing to maintain the academic standards expected at the national level, a factor they believe led to the school’s recent poor performance in national examinations. However, these allegations have not yet been independently verified.
Images seen by Newshub.co.ke showed extensive damage to classrooms and other structures within the school.
The school, located just 500 metres from Iten Township and about 32 kilometres from Eldoret along the Iten-Kapsowar Road, suffered significant destruction. Angry students reportedly hurled stones at buildings, leaving windows shattered and walls defaced.
St. Patrick’s Iten Boys High School has long enjoyed a strong reputation as one of Kenya’s top-performing national schools, both in academics and athletics.
It is well known for producing top-tier athletes and notable alumni, including the current Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen.
This latest incident at St. Patrick’s comes amid a wave of school unrest in different parts of the country, where learning has been disrupted due to student protests. In many of these cases, school property has been destroyed and dormitories torched.
Earlier this year, on May 12, Bukhalalire High School in Busia County was also closed indefinitely after a dormitory fire incident left at least six students seriously injured.
The Butula Sub-County Director of Education, John Kemei, ordered the closure of the school to allow for thorough investigations into the incident.
Similarly, last month, St. Mary’s Ukwala High School in Siaya County experienced chaos when students protested the quality of food, particularly maize flour used to make ugali. Claiming it was of poor quality, the students went on strike, accusing the school management of ignoring their complaints.
During the protest, students destroyed classroom and office windows before walking out of the school and heading to Ukwala centre. There, they demanded to be heard by education officials, expressing their anger and disappointment over how the school was being run.
These repeated incidents raise concerns about growing dissatisfaction among students, calling for urgent attention from school administrations, education authorities, and other stakeholders to prevent further disruptions in Kenya’s education system.
Join Gen Z & Millennials New WhatsApp Channel To Stay Updated On time
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWT5gSGufImU8R0DO30
