St Mary’s Ukwala Boys’ High School in Ugenya subcounty has been closed indefinitely following a student rampage on Monday night.
The closure was announced on Tuesday morning after a consultative meeting between the school’s Board of Management and education officials.
Speaking during a phone interview, Siaya County Director of Education Leonard Kabaki confirmed the move, saying students could not be allowed to remain in school after damaging property.
“The board was consulted and the students were sent home,” Kabaki told The Star. “They destroyed windows in several classrooms and offices, and it was not safe to continue learning.”
The unrest began around 8 pm when students went on a rampage, breaking window panes before storming out of the school and heading to Ukwala town.
The learners claimed they were protesting the alleged poor quality of maize flour used to prepare their meals.
The students claimed they had repeatedly raised concerns about the maize flour being unfit for consumption, but their complaints were ignored.
They claimed that the school administration failed to act, prompting them to take matters into their own hands.
Police officers were called in to restore order and escorted the students back to the school.
However, by Tuesday morning, the school’s administration, in consultation with education officials, resolved to close the institution indefinitely.
Kabaki noted that while the students cited food quality as their grievance, officials could not independently verify the claim.
“When we arrived, the students had already left for home. So we can’t confirm that as the reason for their rampage. We need to engage with them further to understand the real cause,” he said.
This comes months after Ramba Boys was closed and students sent home over unrest in April and March.