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Student killed, 36 injured in attack on school

By STELLA CHERONO February 11th, 2014 2 min read

A form one student was killed and 36 others hospitalized after armed men stormed the St Charles Mutengo School in Dagoretti South on Sunday night.

The school’s administration closed the school indefinitely on Monday morning to allow the police to carry out investigations into the attack.

A view of the St Charles Mutengo School in Dagoretti South. PHOTO | STELLA CHERONO
A view of the St Charles Mutengo School in Dagoretti South. PHOTO | STELLA CHERONO

The school has 825 students.

The body of the form one student, identified by the head teacher only as Isaac, was found outside the schools’s gate with wounds at the back of his head and a band tied round his neck.

“His face was badly damaged but we managed to get an examinations exercise book in his pocket that had his name. His friends were also able to identify him, ” the school’s director Charles Nyamote said.

The school's director Charles New Nyamote. PHOTO | STELLA CHERONO
The school’s director Charles New Nyamote. PHOTO | STELLA CHERONO

Parents who arrived at the school to pick their children blamed the school’s administration for not securing their students well.

They complained that injured pupils had not received proper treatment for fractures they sustained during the attack.

When Nairobi News journalists arrived at the school, the parent of the deceased student had not been informed of the death of his son. He was still looking for his son in school.

The attackers, estimated to be about 50, were reportedly dressed in traditional Maasai clothing.

They stormed into the school  at midnight, shattered windows and vandalized vehicles and furniture.

Dagoretti OCPD Matthew Gwiyo said the attackers broke part of the fence to enter the school. They then switched off the electricity main switch and proceeded to attack students who were sleeping in dormitories.

 

“They then vandalized the school equipment and issued a stern warning to the students that they would be killed if they returned to the school. The attackers did not steal anything from the school,” Mr Gwiyo said.

According to the Dagoretti OCPD, police suspect the motive of the attack to be displeasure with the school’s management.

“The school is run by someone who claims that the locals have been threatening that they will close the school because of bias in employing teachers as well as admission of students to the school,” Mr Gwiyo said.

But the school’s director said he has never had any problems with the locals and that he has no information about the locals wanting to possess the school.

“We have lived well with them and the school admits students from this area. The locals even supply us with milk and vegetables and I cannot say that the school has enemies,” Mr Nyamote said.

Area Chief, George Mukuria also said the school has never had any problem with the locals. He said the attacks might have been spurred by jealousy or political reasons.