St. Mary’s Ukwala Boys’ High School in Siaya County has shut its gates indefinitely after students tore through classrooms and offices on Monday night, accusing the administration of serving ugali made from substandard maize flour.
The unrest, which erupted around 8 p.m., saw windowpanes smashed and a march into nearby Ukwala town, where students tried to press their case at local education offices. By Tuesday morning, county education chiefs and the board of management voted to close the extra-county boarding school while investigations get underway.
One parent, caught off-guard while escorting her son back from a fee-related break, said the complaints had been brewing for weeks. “My son was home for fee-related issues; however, while escorting him to school, I was surprised to be met with his colleagues who had been sent home. I was forced to take him back home,” she told reporters.
County Director of Education Leonard Kabaki confirmed the shutdown and promised a probe into both the quality of food supplies and the vandalism bill. No timeline has been set for reopening, leaving nearly a thousand learners idle just weeks before mid-term exams.
Food-related protests are not new. In February, Nakuru High School suspended learning after a similar revolt left dormitories and the administration block in ruins. Education officials now worry more schools could follow suit if kitchen standards—and student grievances—are not addressed swiftly.
Parents, meanwhile, are bracing for extra costs: repairing broken infrastructure and possibly footing bills for improved rations once classes resume. For now, Ukwala town has returned to calm, but the bigger question, what’s really in that flour, remains unanswered.
