CS Amina: Three students jailed, 125 arrested over school protests

Three students have so far been jailed and 125 others arrested following the recent wave of unrest in several schools across the country.

Making the announcement on Monday, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said tough disciplinary action will be taken against students found culpable in the school protest cases.

She noted that the jailed students from Siakago Boys in Embu and will serve one year in juvenile detention.

“Three students from Siakago Boys in Embu have been jailed for one year on probation and have since cleared from the school. They can only attend a day school as they report to the local chief,” said Amb. Mohamed.

“125 students from various affected schools have been arrested as police intensify the crackdown on all masterminds of the recent cases of student unrest.”

Since last week, at least 10 boarding secondary schools have experienced cases of unrest with seven of them being arson cases targeting dormitories.

The Education CS attributed the unrest cases to general indiscipline by students, claiming that some are protesting the tough examination rules meant to stamp out cheating.

She directed all school heads to heighten surveillance of boarding facilities, adding that ministry officials will also be conducting field visits in the regions that have reported the highest cases of unrest.

“Stakeholder forums led by the Regional Coordinators of Education and County Directors of Education will be held in all the regions with a view to finding common and lasting solutions this and coming years,” she said.

The last couple of weeks have seen a number of schools in the Nyanza region closed due to student unrest or fire outbreaks.

The worrying trend has even prompted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to put all on notice all students who engage in criminal activities.

Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti on Sunday warned that the DCI will archive the student criminal records and have them reflected in police clearance certificates in future.