Parents of students at Litein Boys High School in Kericho County will shoulder a Ksh69 million fine to repair extensive damage caused during a violent student riot, with restoration works expected to begin before schools reopen.
According to a communication from the Board of Management (BoM), engineers from the State Department of Public Works assessed the total destruction at nearly Ksh100 million. Parents will contribute Ksh69 million, while the BoM will raise Ksh30 million following an appeal by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA). The board will pay its share in phases and may seek support from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Any outstanding balance will later be recovered from parents through the school’s development kitty.
The decision followed a meeting chaired by Dr. K. Kemboi and attended by PTA chair Abadnego Rotich, officials from the Ministry of Education, and engineers from the State Department. The BoM’s statement indicated that the total damages, amounting to Ksh69,578,795, will be shared among 1,400 students, each paying Ksh49,699.
Parents have been instructed to deposit the fines by October 6, 2025, to enable repairs before reopening. The PTA had proposed reducing the fine to Ksh10,000 per student, but the board ruled it out as insufficient. The BoM will coordinate payments directly with parents.
The school will reopen in phases: Form Two students on October 9, Form Three on October 13, and Form Four on October 16. According to Principal Richard Sang, who also serves as the BoM secretary, “Form Two and Three students will only carry their bags and bedding, while Form Four students will carry all their belongings.”
All outstanding fees and fines must be cleared before readmission. “Students must be accompanied by their parents, after which a general parents’ meeting will be held,” the board stated.
The riot, which occurred two weeks ago, resulted in the arrest of eight students, who have since been charged in court. The court ordered a week-long detention to allow the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to complete inquiries into arson, burglary, and malicious property damage.
Represented by advocate Naima Chelangat, the accused students were found with stolen items, including laptops and teachers’ personal effects. A joint team of civil, electrical, and quantity survey engineers from the State Department of Public Works and Housing, alongside officials from the Ministries of Education and Interior, inspected the damage to determine its scale.
The administration dismissed claims that the riot erupted over a denied football screening, clarifying that students had already watched two matches on Saturday and one on Sunday. Investigations revealed that some students were angered by the administration’s refusal to cooperate with cartels involved in KCSE exam leakages.
Police are also probing reports that outsiders looted the school during the chaos, stealing computers, maize, rice, and beans, some of which were later recovered several kilometres away. During the rampage, students broke into the bursar’s office, damaged a safe, stole cash and documents, tampered with CCTV cameras, used the school bus to block the main gate, and looted the kitchen.
By Nairobi Wire