16 students from Narok High School were arrested for allegedly leading a riot in protest against the school principal’s continued stay after transfer.
Hundreds of students walked out of school after taking their lunch and walked towards the Narok town direction, where they threw stones at motorbikes and vehicles that were parked beside the road.
Narok Town Assistant County Commissioner (ACC), Ali Shakur, said the students complained of the continued stay of their Principal, David Kirui, who had since been transferred.
Students rioted by pelting stones at pedestrians and motor vehicles, damaging several vehicles in the town center, according to Shukur.
Following the unrest, the Assistant County Commissioner, led the security team, the School Board of Management and education officers in a closed door meeting, that resolved that those students who rioted to be sent home, while others remain in school to continue with their normal school programme.
It was also resolved that the school Board of Management should assess the total damage caused and take appropriate action. The County Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Director was also tasked to deal with the succession issues appropriately.
The 16 arrested are expected to be arraigned in a Narok Court, where they will be charged with vandalism.
The Narok High School has been performing below expectation in the National examination, despite the school having some of the best infrastructure in the County.
In last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, 334 candidates sat for the examination and managed a mean of 5.39.
The School, considered to be a giant school in the County, was beaten by new upcoming schools such as Nkarretta Secondary School, that managed a mean score of 8.5 and Moi Naikarra that got a mean score of 8.2.
By Ann Salaton
