Parents of students at Litein High School in Kericho County threatened to move to court to stop the school’s management from demanding Sh49,000 per student as compensation for damages caused during a recent strike.
The parents, through their lawyers Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui, and Sam Nyaberi accused the school’s Board of Management (BoM) of inflating the cost of repairs and unfairly burdening families.
Omari said they had received instructions from the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), which represents more than 1,400 parents of the school’s approximately 1,500 students.
He said the parents had lost confidence in the school’s administration following a series of strikes that have seen them repeatedly forced to pay for damages.
“This is the third strike at Litein High School, and each time parents are condemned to pay without question,” said Omari.
“The parents believe the school’s management is instigating these strikes for financial gain.”
He claimed that a government quantity surveyor from Nakuru was hired by the school and valued the damages at Sh99 million, a figure later revised downwards to Sh62 million without consultation with parents.
Of that amount, he says, Sh69 million was allegedly for repairs and Sh30 million for teachers who claimed to have lost personal property.
“The parents were never shown the bill of quantities or given transparency,” Omari added.
“They believe the total value of all the school’s property is less than the amount being demanded. Their own independent assessment shows each student should pay about Sh10,000, not Sh49,000.”
He said the parents have instructed the lawyers to prepare a petition before the High Court to compel the school to provide an inventory of destroyed property and stop what they termed the “exploitation of children.”
The lawyers also said they would be asking the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate how money collected after previous strikes was spent.
Lawyer Nyaberi described the levy as part of a “criminal enterprise” aimed at extorting parents under the guise of repairs.
“We are not disputing that there was a strike or that property was destroyed,” he said.
“But this Sh49,000 figure is arbitrary and meant to benefit individuals aligned with the Board of Management. Parents are being condemned without justification.”
He added that the parents would seek judicial review orders once the suit is filed to stop enforcement of the levy and to ensure that students’ rights are protected.
Wambui on his part, faulted the school’s decision to readmit students in phases, saying it was unreasonable for Form Four candidates who are preparing for national examinations to be the last to report back to school.
“It is illogical that candidates are being told to report last,” he said.
“We will be asking the court to ensure the school acts fairly and gives all students, especially Form Fours, a reasonable chance to prepare for their exams.”
According to the schedule issued by the school, Form Two and Three students are expected to report back first, while Form Fours will return on October 16.
The lawyers said the parents are united in demanding accountability and fairness, warning that if the administration does not withdraw the directive, they will seek court intervention within days.
“We need to understand that the sayer of what is right and wrong in this country is the courts of law. So, when a body exercising its administrative powers gives certain orders or directives, one that requires that these parents must and should pay a compensation of about 49,000 shillings each. That is something that is available for scrutiny before the courts of law,” said Wambui
“The courts have the power of issuing judicial review orders to compel the school to readmit the Form 4s quicker than the Form 2s and the Form 3s. The court also has the power to quash the directive by the school requiring parents to pay up to a tune of about Sh49,000 from each parent.”
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