A 15-year-old student from Kiongwani Girls Secondary School in Makueni County faces the risk of missing this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination after being suspended over an unusual punishment linked to chewing gum.
According to her mother, Virginia Maweu from Marwa village in Kilome Sub-County, the Form Four student was sent home last term after she was found with three packets of “P.K” breath-freshener gum in her bag during a routine inspection at the school gate. She admitted that she had forgotten to remove the chewing gum from her bag before reporting back from mid-term break.
The school administration has since issued a stern directive, demanding that the parents supply chewing gum for all 580 students before their daughter is allowed to resume classes. The total cost of the fine is estimated at Sh16,800.
“Later, she was sent home with a demand to purchase chewing gum for all 580 students at a total cost of Sh16,800. This has left us stranded,” Maweu explained, noting that her child’s education and future now hang in the balance.
Efforts by the family to negotiate with the school principal, Jackyline Kyalo, for a phased payment plan have so far been rejected. The administration insists on full payment before the student can be readmitted.
“As a parent, I feel the school is punishing me unfairly. I had already cleared school fees for my child, only to be forced into negotiations on how to pay a hefty fine which, to me, feels like double payment,” Maweu lamented.
The case has sparked concern among education stakeholders in the region, with calls for the Ministry of Education to intervene. Critics argue that while discipline is essential in schools, punitive measures that could jeopardize a candidate’s right to education and examinations are excessive and counterproductive.
As the KCSE exams draw closer, the fate of the suspended student remains uncertain, raising wider questions about fairness, proportionality in school disciplinary actions, and the urgent need for oversight in handling such cases.
