Education

Mukumu Girls’ disease outbreak: Chaos, tear gas at meeting on reopening school

Published

1 month ago

April 30, 2023

By Wanja Waweru

Police were summoned to break up a parent protest during a meeting at Mukumu Girls’ High School in Kakamega County on Saturday.

Parents who were debating the school’s reopening after a sickness epidemic that claimed four lives ordered that the institution’s suspected-to-be-contaminated maize be destroyed, which caused chaos.

Ezekiel Machogu, the cabinet secretary for education, issued an order to destroy the maize on April 15 in an effort to avert another disaster.

Sr. Jane Mmbone, the principle of Shikoti Girls’ Secondary School, has taken the place of former principal Fridah Ndolo, who has been transferred to the office of the Western area director of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). These changes were also confirmed by CS Machogu.

On Saturday, parents who attempted to break into the store to destroy the corn were dispersed by police officers using tear gas.

They fled from police officers and went toward the neighboring Khayega market, causing a disturbance on the Kakamega-Kisumu route.

At the meeting at the school were Shinyalu MP Fredrick Ikana, Elsie Muhanda, a woman representative, and Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale.

After parents vowed not to release their children before the destruction of the maize, the scheduled reopening of the school on May 2 has been called into question following the altercation between parents and police officers.

Irungu Ndirangu, the commissioner for the Western Region, was jeered by the parents after he explained that proper disposal processes had to be followed before the grain could be destroyed.

Accidents

Vihiga: Section of Secondary School dorm razed, no injuries

Published

2 days ago

May 31, 2023

KSN Reporter

On Tuesday evening, a portion of a dormitory at Ebunangwe Boy’s Secondary School in Vihiga County caught fire.

Billy Maloba, a witness to the incident, estimates that the fire started at 8 o’clock.

“No one was injured in the accident since it happened when the students were doing their night preps in class,” he said.

Ebunangwe is a mixed boarding and day school.

The school has only one dormitory.

“It was raining around that time so it took a while for people to notice the fire,” Maloba, who said he lives a few metres from the school, said.

He claimed that once the fire was put out by the locals, the Vihiga fire department arrived.

Since property with an unknown value was destroyed, the cause of the fire has not yet been identified.

By the time of publication, the school still had not released a statement regarding the incident.

Education

UoN only Kenyan university among world’s top 2,000

Published

2 weeks ago

May 16, 2023

KSN Reporter

According to the most recent rankings published today by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), the University of Nairobi is the only university in Kenya classified among the top 2,000 universities worldwide.

The leading institution in Kenya is in the top 7% of universities worldwide after being ranked 1,425th on the Global 2000 ranking for 2023.

But due to a fall in the employability of its graduates and its research output, two crucial performance measures, UoN has dropped 20 spots from last year’s rating.

The rankings are being released as the education industry undergoes significant adjustments. In an effort to pull universities out of their current financial mess, there has been an increased focus on university finance recently.

In order to rate colleges from around the world on four criteria—educational quality (25%) employability (25%) faculty quality (10%) and research performance (40%)—CWUR analyzed 62 million outcomes-based data points.

These are measured independently of surveys and information provided by universities. 20,531 universities were ranked this year. Stephen Kiama, vice chancellor of the University of Nebraska, was ecstatic to get the news.

“Obviously we’re delighted. Students at UoN are taught from new knowledge based on research. We have a huge responsibility to maintain the standards we’ve set. The others [universities] know where to go,” he told Nation.

The CWUR president, however, sounded an alarm over the performance of Kenyan universities.

“It is alarming to see only one Kenyan university in the rankings. Funding to further promote the development and reputation of Kenya’s higher education system is vital if the country is to be more competitive on the global stage,” he said.

Education

Litein Boys students go on strike over change in entertainment schedule

Published

3 weeks ago

May 16, 2023

KSN Reporter

Students at Litein Boys’ High School in Kericho County went on strike on Sunday night, in response to a change in the entertainment program.

A total of 334 students from Kipsuter Boys’ High School in Bomet County have also joined the strike in a related incident to protest the head teacher’s transfer.

A motor vehicle damaged by students at Litein Boys’ High School in Kericho county after students went on the rampage. Vitalis Kimutai I Natiion Media Group

At Litein Boys’ High School, 1,900 students broke windows in the administration building and lab, as well as destroying biometric registration kits.They also burnt down a motorcycle, smashed a private vehicle at the institution before the administration called in the police.

“Police fired several bullets in the air to contain the students and restrained them from getting out of the compound following the strike” a senior police officer at Bureti sub-county police headquarters in Litein said.

The students are said to have been opposed to the administration’s recent shifting of the entertainment timetable from Sunday evening to afternoon.

The school’s Chief Principal Mr Richard Sang, the board of management, security and education officers were held up in a meeting at the school amidst tight security.