Parents and residents in Ndia Constituency, Kirinyaga County, have taken to the streets to protest the planned construction of a police post and a chief’s camp inside the grounds of Upper Sagana Primary School.
The angry parents stormed the school compound, ordering construction workers to leave the site, saying the project would not continue unless they are fully informed and involved by local leaders, including Ndia Member of Parliament George Kariuki.
According to a member of the school’s board, the county government had initially claimed that the project was for the creation of an ICT hub.
This idea was welcomed by school officials, who believed it would offer significant benefits to the students through improved access to technology and digital learning.
However, the board later discovered that the actual construction involved setting up a police post and a chief’s camp — something they say was never communicated to them from the start.
“We agreed to the project because we thought it was going to be an ICT centre to help our children with learning. But now we’re hearing that it’s for police and administrative offices, and we can’t allow that. It will cause problems for the children’s well-being,” the board member stated.
Parents voiced serious concerns over the potential psychological impact of placing a police station within a school environment.
They said that such a facility could expose their children to scenes and situations that are not appropriate for a learning environment.
They fear the students might witness arrests or criminal suspects being brought into the school compound, which could cause fear and anxiety among the learners.
Some parents argued that the county government should instead prioritize improving the school’s learning environment by building more classrooms and science laboratories, as well as repairing damaged infrastructure like leaking roofs, rather than introducing security offices into the school grounds.
“They are now building a police station inside a school, and we fear that our children will see things they shouldn’t.
A police station deals with criminals and people who have done wrong, and that environment is not suitable for our children’s studies. We want development that helps education, not something that will distract them,” one parent said.
In response, MP George Kariuki defended the decision, stating that the police post was meant to protect the ICT center from repeated vandalism. He claimed that the project was designed with security in mind, to safeguard important resources for the school and surrounding community.
This situation is similar to an incident that occurred earlier this year in January, at Gatoto Primary School in Mukuru kwa Reuben, Nairobi.
There, parents also stormed the school compound in protest against an alleged land grabbing attempt by powerful local individuals.
The protest was sparked by claims that some people were trying to interfere with the school’s land ownership.
The protest in Mukuru kwa Reuben quickly escalated, forcing teachers to send learners home for safety reasons. Tensions rose as police officers were deployed to the school and clashed with parents at the entrance.
“We don’t want politics here. We just want our children to go to school in peace. This school is government property, and we don’t want anyone taking it away from our children,” a concerned parent said at the time.
Both incidents highlight growing concerns among parents about how school spaces are being used and the lack of proper communication and consultation by authorities when planning such projects.
The protests reflect the deep frustrations of communities who want transparency, accountability, and a safe, conducive learning environment for their children.
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