Maranda High School will reopen its gates this weekend, but under strict new rules, after student unrest forced an indefinite closure.
Only Form Four students will be allowed back, and even then, in a carefully controlled process. According to a directive from Chief Principal Edwin Namachanja and the Board of Management, students will return in phases over two days, June 5 and June 6, and must report by 10 a.m., accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The conditions do not end there.
Parents have been instructed to clear all outstanding fees before their children are readmitted. In addition, each student must pay a damage restitution fee of Sh2,695, a measure the school says is necessary to repair property destroyed during the unrest.
The disturbances left a visible mark on the school, particularly in the Owino B dormitory, where 192 Form Four students were staying. The building suffered extensive damage, according to school officials.
In response, the administration has announced a recovery plan for the affected students. The school will provide replacement essentials, including uniforms, shoes, mattresses, blankets and bedsheets. Parents, however, will still need to supply personal hygiene items and, where necessary, new metal boxes.
School officials have not publicly detailed the cause of the unrest, but the incident adds to a pattern seen in schools across the country in recent years, where tensions over discipline, facilities and academic pressure have sometimes boiled over.
Education stakeholders have often called for deeper engagement between students, teachers and parents to address underlying concerns before they escalate. At Maranda, the immediate focus appears to be on restoring order and ensuring that candidates preparing for national examinations can resume learning without further disruption.
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