Several students from Bishop Sulumeti Girls School in Lugari Sub-County, Kakamega County, were rushed to hospital on Sunday night after police used teargas to disperse a protest at the institution.
Preliminary reports indicate that the unrest began during the evening of June 7, with students demonstrating over prolonged water shortages at the school.
However, conflicting accounts suggest the situation escalated after some students allegedly switched off the main power supply and began throwing stones while chanting “We want to go home,” though the exact trigger of the chaos has not been independently confirmed.
Further reports have been made stating that the protest was escalating towards the latter half of the day, making the police force act to restore calm.
In their efforts to disperse the protesters, the police used teargas, and this led to students fainting because of inhaling the gas.
The patients had to be transferred to the Lumakanda County Hospital for treatment to be administered to them.
Video clips from the internet showed learners lying in the bed of the hospital, with some coughing severely while being looked after by medics.
The exact number of students who were admitted or treated has not yet been established at the time of writing this report.
A clear statement from school administrators and security agencies regarding the incident had not been issued as yet.
This is another incident of school unrest, adding fuel to the concerns already being raised by several such incidents happening in schools.
Educationists have asked for calm as the investigating teams attempt to find out the reason behind the latest unrest in a school institution.
