Elite schools hit by unrest as State warns jail terms await culprits

The rising wave of unrest has now reached national and elite schools that had previously remained untouched by the growing instability in secondary institutions, raising fresh concerns about student welfare and safety.

Within days, some of the country’s most prestigious schools have been forced to close abruptly due to unrest or rising tensions among learners.

The Nairobi School on Friday asked parents to collect their sons following consultations involving the Board of Management, the Parents Association and the Ministry of Education, citing emerging tension within the institution.

At Mang’u High School, the administration moved swiftly to release all students after a group attempted to spark unrest on Thursday evening. Although the incident was contained, it exposed underlying anxiety within the school.

Alliance High School and Moi Forces Academy Lanet have also been affected. The latter directed parents of Grade 10 and Form Three students to pick up their children following reports of planned disturbances.

At Loreto High School, Limuru, learning was suspended after an overnight student disturbance, with parents instructed to collect their children immediately as a precautionary measure.

But it was at Lenana School where the situation escalated most dramatically.

Student protests over the organisation of the annual Maroon Festival degenerated into destruction of property, leaving classrooms, laboratories, the library, school hall and CCTV infrastructure damaged.

The students’ grievances reportedly centred on the selection of invited schools, entertainment arrangements and the management of festival funds.

The school has since been closed indefinitely.

At Kisii School, another national institution, students were sent home yesterday after the captain’s room was allegedly set ablaze.

For years, these schools have been synonymous with discipline and academic excellence, consistently ranking among the country’s top performers in national examinations.

In the 2025 KCSE examinations, they once again posted impressive results, with mean grades in the A and A- range, cementing their position at the pinnacle of academic achievement.

Yet beneath the stellar performance, signs of growing pressure are emerging.

Education stakeholders say the unrest is increasingly being driven by a combination of communication breakdowns between students and school administrations, mental health challenges, examination pressure and limited avenues for addressing grievances before they escalate into crises.

On Thursday, the Consortium of Secondary Schools Alumni Associations of Kenya warned that the recurring unrest and fire incidents in schools point to deeper systemic problems that can no longer be ignored.

“The recurrence of such incidents within a short period points to a wider national concern that cannot be treated as isolated misfortune,” the organisation said.

Speaking during the Speech and Prize-Giving Day at Kenya High School in Nairobi, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok acknowledged growing concerns over discipline and safety in learning institutions.

He said the Ministry of Education would intensify engagement with learners, strengthen guidance and counselling programmes and conduct safety audits across schools to address emerging challenges.

“Unrest in a few schools is being contained through enhanced dialogue with learners and a nationwide audit of safety standards,” said Bitok.

Heightened surveillance

A day later, the PS  issued a stern warning to students and anyone involved in school unrest, saying the government would take firm action against those responsible.

“As a government, we will not tolerate acts of indiscipline and destruction of school property. Those behind these incidents will be identified and prosecuted. You will not go scot-free,” he said during Education Day celebrations at Kisabei Secondary School in Bomet County.

Bitok said security agencies and education officials had heightened surveillance to curb further unrest.

He noted that out of Kenya’s 9,500 secondary schools, fewer than 80 had experienced serious discipline challenges.

In the Nairobi region, education stakeholders have linked the wave of unrest to a combination of external influences, poor communication between learners and school administrations, congestion in boarding facilities and difficult living conditions.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting convened to address the rising cases of student unrest, Nairobi County Director of Education Agwings Ongijo said authorities had intensified engagement with learners in an effort to restore calm.

“We are having a challenge, but we are on top of things. We are moving around and talking to students and telling them what they are supposed to do. A good number have been convinced of what they need to do,” said Ongijo.

Nairobi North Sub-County Commissioner Simon Osumba said three schools, Highway Secondary School, Pumwani Secondary School and Our Lady of Mercy Shauri Moyo Girls Secondary School, were among the first institutions affected when the unrest began.

Meanwhile, a section of religious leaders is calling for the gradual phasing out of boarding schools, arguing that the current model is increasingly strained.