The wave of unrest in schools made its way through Buruburu girls’ High School causing serious damage to a dormitory and left 63 students hospitalised.
The fire incident led the ‘indefinite’ closure of the institution and parents were asked to take their children home.
But the school reopened on Monday 8th November 2021 with a payment of Ksh.1500 from parents to cater for damages caused by the fire.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha had said parents should carry the burden of rebuilding damaged property as result of students unrest.
Meanwhile a section of church leaders from Nairobi and Kiambu County are asking the government to reinstate corporal punishment in schools to curb unrest.
Addressing the press at Glory Outreach Assembly, Kahawa Wendani, the clergy led by Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya (FEICCK) chairman Bishop Samuel Ngacha, cited heavy workload on students to be among the cause of unrest among learners.
The bishop also appealed to parents to be responsible in raising their children with moral values.
“Even me as a pastor I do punish my children. As parents we don’t want our children to be immoral,” he said.
Prof Magoha is set to appear before the Senate to discuss the worrying matter of arson and unrest in schools.
The CS is expected to explain to the education committee the proactive measure his ministry is taking to curb the menace.
Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja termed the disturbing distress in schools to be caused by peer pressure among students.
He also asked the media to limit reporting on such incidents.
“The problem when you start reporting on these fires, other students gain peer influence to burn their schools,” Sakaja said.
So far more than thirty schools have reported fire incidents since the beginning of second term.
They include Buruburu Girls High School, Kijabe Boys High School, Kanjuri High School and Karima Boys High School whose 24 students were charged in a Nyeri court.
Nominated MP for ODM, Wilson Sossion called for the nation to do away with boarding schools to sustain tranquillity.
“Boarding system should be removed and students be allowed to be day scholars so that we bring to an end the madness we are seeing now,” Sossion said.
The former KNUT Secretary General said spoke at a burial in Kanusin, Sotik constituency.
In the meantime, the ministry of education has granted students a mid-term holiday as a measure to contain unrest.
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