Teachers have rallied behind the headteacher and staff of Forest Primary School in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia County, after a confrontation with a woman identified as Dona Makena escalated into a viral video and competing allegations of assault from both sides.
Makena reportedly visited the school on October 6 to question why her younger brother, a Grade Seven pupil, had been sent home over unpaid lunch fees during the examination period. She alleged that the confrontation escalated after she sought an explanation from the headteacher, claiming she was dragged out of his office, assaulted by members of staff and restrained with a rope.
"I have a swollen back. I can't count the number of times I was beaten," she said in an interview aired on a local television channel. She further alleged that her father was attacked when he arrived at the school and attempted to record the incident.
However, the school's Board of Management (BOM) disputed her account. BOM chairman Pascal Wanyonyi said staff restrained Makena after she allegedly became violent, adding that the headteacher himself was assaulted by a parent during the dispute.
"Our headmaster has reported this matter at the police station and her hands were tied because she had become violent," Wanyonyi said.
The board said an occurrence book (OB) report was recorded at a police station and a statement taken over the alleged assault on the headteacher, setting the stage for investigations into the incident.
A video of the confrontation has since circulated widely online, sparking public outrage and debate on social media over the conduct of school staff, the handling of disputes over school levies and the safety of people visiting learning institutions.
The school maintained that the pupil had been sent home strictly over outstanding lunch fees, and the BOM noted that information indicating parents had previously assented to the lunch-fee payment arrangement added an important dimension to the dispute, one investigators would need to examine alongside the footage.
Teachers expressing solidarity with their colleagues have called for calm, urging education authorities to establish the facts before taking disciplinary action against the headteacher or any member of staff. They have also appealed for teachers to be protected from intimidation while ensuring that complaints by parents and guardians are channelled through established procedures rather than confrontation.
Education stakeholders following the matter have cautioned that the existence of a video and a police report does not, by itself, determine responsibility, noting that investigators must examine the footage, obtain statements from all parties and establish the full sequence of events, including what happened before and after the clip was recorded.
Trans Nzoia County Education Director Dr Pamela Akello confirmed that investigations into the alleged assault were ongoing.
Authorities are expected to establish how the lunch-fee arrangement was agreed upon, what it covered and whether the decision to send the pupil home complied with applicable education regulations, alongside determining whether any party committed an offence. Stakeholders maintain that parental consent to a school charge does not justify violence, and that allegations of assault from either side must be investigated impartially, with all parties given a fair opportunity to present their accounts before any legal or disciplinary action is taken.
Additional reporting by Hillary Muhalya
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