Parents of Form Three and Form Four students at Solai Boys High school have been forced to pay Sh3,000 each as compensation for property damaged during students’ unrest on February 2.

The unrest resulted into burning of an 88-bed-capacity dormitory and students’ belongings at Solai Boys Secondary School.

A parent who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the school had initially fronted sh Sh5,000 figure on Tuesday, February 9, before it was reviewed following complaints by parents.

The compensation demand comes as new details emerge revealing that a transfer student is the key suspect in the arson attack that forced the affected students to be sent home temporarily last week.

In an interview, County Director of Education Victoria Mulili states that preliminary investigations have established that the fire was deliberately set by a Form Three student who had joined the school only days before the incident and had a troubled disciplinary history.

“Upon checking the background of the said Form Three student, we noted that this was his fourth school. His transfer from the previous Nairobi-based school was due to an indiscipline case,” she confirms.

Mulili acknowledges that the school may have failed to conduct adequate due diligence before admitting the student, terming it an oversight that unfortunately had serious consequences.

She further explains that the incident disrupted an otherwise calm learning environment at the institution, adding that public works officers were deployed immediately after the fire to assess the extent of damage to both infrastructure and students’ property.

On the handling of the case, the County Director notes that three students were initially taken into police custody following the incident. However, after investigations, only one student is formally charged and has since been presented in court.

“The matter is now before the court, and the student’s fate has been left in the hands of the judicial process,” Mulili says.

Regarding compensation for the damages, Mulili states that the cost assessment is currently being handled by the school’s Board of Management (BOM). She explains that while liability may eventually be placed on the responsible party should the court find the student guilty, the cost burden is, for now, being shared among parents to ease the pressure on any single family.

Meanwhile, learning at Solai Boys Secondary School resumed, and Mulili confirms that students have been accommodated in a new dormitory, which has a higher capacity than the one that was destroyed.

She also notes that psychosocial therapy has been offered to affected students to help them cope with the trauma caused by the incident.

Solai Boys High School parents pay Sh 3,000 for property damaged during students’ unrest

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Leleti Jassor