St Mary’s Ukwala Boys’ High School Closed Indefinitely After Violent Student Protests

St Mary’s Ukwala Boys’ High School in Ugenya, Siaya County, has been closed indefinitely following a night of violent unrest on Monday, during which students vandalised school property in protest over alleged substandard food quality.

The decision to suspend operations at the public boarding school of extra-county level was made on Tuesday after a meeting between its Board of Management and education officials.

Siaya County Director of Education Leonard Kabaki confirmed the closure, stating that the destruction of property, including classroom and office windows, made it unsafe to continue classes. “They destroyed windows in several classrooms and offices, and it was not safe to continue learning,” Kabaki told The Star.

The unrest began around 8 p.m. when students, frustrated over what they described as poor-quality maize flour used in their meals, went on a rampage, smashing windows before spilling out of the school and heading towards Ukwala town.

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Police were called to restore order and escorted them back to the school compound after about half an hour.

The students said they had complained many times about the maize flour, which they believed was unfit for consumption, but the school administration never listened.

Kabaki noted that these claims about food quality in the institution could not yet be verified. “By the time we arrived, the students had already been sent home, so we couldn’t confirm their allegations,” he said. “We will engage with them further to establish what truly caused the protest.”

The closure of St Mary’s Ukwala follows an almost similar incident at Ramba Boys’ High School, also in Siaya County, which was shut down in March and April after student unrest.

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