As education stakeholders are trying to pick up the pieces from the chaos that engulfed Litein Boys High School, new details have emerged about what triggered the massive unrest that led to the destruction of property worth millions.
Sources within the school who spoke on condition of anonymity have revealed that the strike wasn’t just a spontaneous outburst.
“This wasn’t just a spontaneous outburst,” said a teacher. “It had been simmering for weeks.”
Another source familiar with the school’s internal affairs revealed that the unrest had roots in an earlier incident involving Form Two students, who had reportedly planned a strike over undisclosed issues. Their plan, however, was exposed, prompting Form Four students to intervene.
“The Form Fours saw the plan as reckless and decided to punish the younger students,” revealed the source.
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But the Form Twos reported the punishment to the school principal, Richard Sang, who took a stern approach by expelling 26 Form Four students.
“The decision shocked many,” said a parent whose son is in Form Four. “Instead of handling the matter internally, the principal chose the harshest route.”
The expulsion sparked fury among the Form Four students, who then decided to back the original strike, leading to the violent rampage.
As investigations continue, the future of the students, especially the expelled, remains uncertain, even as pressure mounts on the Ministry of Education to intervene and bring order back to the once-prestigious institution.
Unrelenting school rules, poor communication between students and administration, and dissatisfaction with how student concerns were being handled are also to blame.
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“These boys are under extreme pressure,” said a teacher who also requested anonymity. “The rules are suffocating. Every small mistake is punished harshly. There’s no room for dialogue.”
The situation was further complicated by a cancelled football match, which students say was one of the few moments they had to unwind from the daily pressure of academics and rules.
“Games are our only escape,” said a Form Three student. “When even that is taken away, it feels like we are in prison, not school.”
Amid the confusion, some stakeholders are now calling for a full investigation into the school’s operations.
“There is more than meets the eye here,” said a local education official. “We must establish if there was financial mismanagement, and why tensions among students were allowed to escalate to this level.”
By Kimutai Langat
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