Parents Ordered to Pay Sh69.5 Million for Litein Boys Riot Destruction

Parents of students at Litein Boys High School in Kericho County are reeling from shock after being slapped with a massive Sh69.5 million fine to cover damages from a violent student riot that left the institution in ruins last month.

The hefty penalty, which translates to Sh49,699 per student for the school’s 1,400 learners, comes barely two weeks after the September 21 night of chaos that saw students torch buildings, loot property and destroy critical infrastructure just weeks before national examinations.

The Board of Management, in a communication sent to parents via mobile phones, has given families until today, October 6, to settle the fines directly into the school’s bank account before repairs can commence and students return to class.

The decision follows a tense meeting between the school’s Board of Management led by chairman Dr K. Kemboi, the Parents Teachers Association under Mr Abadnego Rotich, and Ministry of Education officials.

Engineers from the State Department of Public Works had presented a damning audit report placing the total destruction at Sh99,962,450.

While the Parents Teachers Association had earlier appealed for a reduced fine of Sh10,000 per student, the proposal was dismissed as impractical given the scale of devastation.

Following negotiations, the Board of Management agreed to shoulder Sh30 million of the total cost, leaving parents to immediately cough up the balance.

The board is expected to seek government intervention, including funds from the Constituency Development Fund, to cover its share of repairs.

Any remaining deficit will be recovered from parents over time through the school’s development levy.

The night of September 21 descended into unprecedented chaos as students overpowered school security and embarked on a rampage of destruction.

The administration block, science and computer laboratories were set ablaze , while classrooms, offices and property worth millions were vandalised.

Students broke into stores and the kitchen, recorded themselves with covered faces as they feasted, before attempting to invade the nearby AIC Litein Girls High School.

The marauding students used stones and crude weapons to destroy property, drove the school bus to block the main gate, and ransacked the bursar’s office where they damaged a safe and stole an undisclosed amount of cash.

Critical documents, including uncollected KCSE certificates from previous years, were torn and burnt. CCTV cameras were destroyed, and the kitchen was thoroughly looted with reports indicating that maize, rice and beans were carted away during the mayhem.

Eight students have since been arrested and arraigned before Kericho Principal Magistrate Fredrick Nyakundi, who ordered their detention for seven days to allow the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to complete investigations into charges of arson, burglary and malicious damage to property.

The students, represented by advocate Naima Chelangat, were found in possession of stolen items including laptops and teachers’ personal belongings.

While initial reports suggested the unrest was triggered by students being denied permission to watch a football match, the school administration has vehemently denied these claims, noting that learners had watched two matches on Saturday and one on Sunday before the incident.

However, investigators have since uncovered a more sinister motive.

Preliminary investigations show that students were angered by the administration’s refusal to engage with cartels involved in leakage of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations , according to a DCI officer.

Police are also probing reports that outsiders took advantage of the chaos to enter the school compound under cover of darkness, looting property.

Some of the stolen goods were later recovered several kilometres from the institution.

The reopening of the school will be staggered to manage the situation.

Form Two students are expected to report on October 9, Form Three on October 13, and Form Four on October 16. Form Two and Three students have been instructed to carry only bags and bedding, while Form Four students will bring all their belongings.

Principal Richard Sang, who also serves as secretary to the Board of Management, emphasized that the board has resolved, with the concurrence of the Ministry of Education, that all fees arrears and damage costs must be cleared before readmission.

Students must be accompanied by their parents for readmission, after which a general parents’ meeting will be held.

The incident has left parents, alumni and the wider community devastated.

Litein Boys High School has experienced multiple closures this year due to student unrest, raising serious questions about discipline and management in the institution.

The destruction comes at a particularly difficult time for parents already grappling with the economic pressures of education costs and preparations for the upcoming KCSE examinations.

The massive financial burden has sparked conversations about student discipline, school management and the rising wave of unrest in schools across the South Rift region, where several institutions have reported similar incidents in recent weeks.

As repairs begin and students prepare to return, the education sector continues to grapple with the underlying issues that have seen once-peaceful learning institutions turned into scenes of destruction, leaving parents to count the cost in millions.