• They are believed to be behind the unrest in the third school, being treated as suspects.
• Three schools now closed due to unrest.
Migori county police are holding six students from Mwache Mixed Day Secondary for unrest on Thursday evening that left property of unknown value destroyed.
County police commander Joseph Nthenge said the six are helping police in investigations and will be arraigned soon.
Nthenge said the students also threatened to attack teachers during the rampage, claims that are also being investigated.
Thursday's incident marks the third incident in Migori county after Ngisiru Mixed in Kuria West and Kibuon Mixed in Nyatike were closed within a week.
Nthenge said police are keen and on alert on any unrest in school and will treat students as suspects.
“The students who were arrested are suspected to be ringleaders of the school unrest at Mwache,” Nthenge said.
He said police got the information from principal Ronald Mwakavale, where several school properties including window panes were destroyed.
“Students were protesting over the transfer of school deputy principal Churchill Olima,” he said.
Students demanded that the principal and matron be transferred instead.
Suna East deputy county commissioner Daniel Mutiso said education officers have been sent to the school to investigate the matter and recommend action.
On May 27, Ngisiru Mixed Day Secondary School was closed by Migori Education director Elizabeth Otieno after students started throwing stones at teachers and threatened to destroy property.
She said students were demanding redress over bad food, wanted the school changed into boarding and their principal transferred.
“Their demands had no grounds, how could they demonstrate over the food they have been eating since the beginning of the term and the school changed overnight into boarding?” Otieno asked.
Otieno said students could not force through the transfer of a principal.
She deployed officers to investigate the matter, she said.
“The officers will come up with a report which will give us appropriate measures before the schools re-open,” she said.
This comes a week after Kibuon Secondary was closed indefinitely following students' unrest over the transfer of their principal.
Nyatike subcounty Education director Elijah Kongere ordered the closure of the school last Saturday after the learners threatened to destroy property.
“Issues of transfer of teachers is a policy issue, so whenever a transfer of a principal or teacher comes, we don’t expect students to resist, their work is to learn,” Kongere said.
He said the current principal Kennedy Odero received his transfer latter to Wi Obiero Secondary school in Homa Bay on Friday last week but did not resist the transfer.
The two warned students that they will be criminally liable for strikes if found guilty.
(Edited by R.Wamochie )