Kenya: Ministry Closes Kiambu Boys' School After Principal's Arrest Over Sexual Abuse

Nairobi — The Ministry of Education has indefinitely closed P.C.E.A. Mai-a-Ihii Booth Boys High School in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, after police arrested the school's principal over allegations of sexually abusing students and the Board of Management Chairperson for allegedly attempting to obstruct investigations.

The closure, ordered by the Kikuyu Sub-County Director of Education, is intended to facilitate an independent police investigation into the allegations, which have sparked outrage among parents and disrupted learning for hundreds of students, including Form Four candidates preparing for their national examinations.

Ministry of Education, P.C.E.A. Mai-a-Ihii Booth Boys High School, Kikuyu, Kiambu County, school closure, sexual abuse, indecent acts, students, principal, Board of Management, Joseph Ndege, National Police Service, child protection, education, investigations, Kenya news

"We were able to establish that last week was the climax of the whole event. This thing has been happening in the background. The school principal was the one who was involved with the touching of these boys inappropriately," Ndege said.

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He confirmed that the Board Chairperson was arrested for allegedly obstructing justice after attempting to interfere with the investigation.

"Actually he was trying to frustrate the investigation and we thought that equally, we needed to take action and let him lead by action," he said.

The principal has been charged with committing indecent acts against minors, while the board chairperson is accused of attempting to settle the criminal allegations outside the legal process.

The investigation began after several students reported that they had been sexually abused inside the principal's office.

One parent said her son was struggling to cope with the alleged betrayal.

"Personally my son is traumatized because he's among those ones that were accosted. And he's traumatized because the principal had been like a father figure to him, and now he's wondering how it has all changed and he's being sexually harassed, being handled in an inappropriate manner," she said.

She insisted that the investigation must be handled independently.

"We can't have the hyena doing the investigations among the sheep. We need to have a different person, a neutral person."

Parents who arrived to collect their children also expressed frustration over what they described as poor communication from the school's management.

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"They haven't given us much more information, other than saying that the Ministry has said they want to conduct an investigation," said parent Seline Njomo.

Another parent, Jeremiah Kiambati, questioned the abrupt evacuation.

"We have not been informed in depth about what the government has seen to warrant us removing our children," he said.

"If we have been called to pick up the children, it seems to us that there are things we haven't understood even now that are under the table."

Detectives are continuing to record statements from students, parents and staff as they seek to establish the full extent of the alleged abuse.

Parents have demanded a transparent investigation before the school is reopened.

"What we can say we want most of all is transparency. A transparent process, not just dictatorial," Njomo said.