Tambach Boys High School Closed Indefinitely After Pre-Dawn Student Protest

By Linda Muhanji

Tambach Boys High School has been closed indefinitely following a pre-dawn protest staged by students on Monday morning, marking the latest incident in a rising wave of student unrest across the country.

According to school principal Michael Cheruiyot, the students left the school compound around 3 a.m., marching several kilometers to Iten town in what appeared to be a coordinated demonstration. The early morning incident drew attention from local residents as the students, dressed in uniform, walked into the town's central business district.

“The Board of Management has convened an urgent crisis meeting to assess the situation and determine the way forward. Thankfully, no major destruction was reported,” said Mr. Cheruiyot.

Images and video footage obtained from local sources show students marching calmly but in large numbers. There were no reports of injuries or violence, though the motives behind the protest are yet to be officially confirmed by school authorities.

Growing Concern Over Student Unrest

The incident at Tambach comes just days after another high-profile protest in the region. On Wednesday last week, St. Patrick’s Iten High School was also closed indefinitely after students went on a rampage, destroying property and opposing the scheduled end-of-term examinations.

According to Keiyo North Sub-County Director of Education, Alice Sitienei, the unrest at St. Patrick’s Iten stemmed from discontent over academic performance and pressure surrounding exams. Unverified reports suggested that students had also raised concerns about school leadership and declining performance standards.

Nationwide Pattern Emerging

The closure of Tambach Boys and St. Patrick’s Iten adds to a growing list of schools grappling with unrest across Kenya. On Sunday, Kaplong Girls High School in Bomet County was closed indefinitely after students staged a protest over alleged sexual harassment by a male teacher.

The protest at Kaplong Girls turned tense, with students demanding immediate intervention, citing repeated cases of inappropriate conduct by the accused teacher. Learning was suspended, and the school has yet to release an official statement on the allegations.

Education stakeholders are now raising alarms over the increasing frequency of student protests, calling for a deeper evaluation of student welfare, academic pressures, school leadership, and disciplinary systems in learning institutions.

Ministry Yet to Issue Official Statement

As of Monday evening, the Ministry of Education had not released an official response regarding the incidents, but sources indicate that investigations are underway in all affected schools.