Education authorities in Kitui have dismissed the unrest that occurred at Muthale Girls School as a small administrative matter that has since been resolved.
County director of education Salesa Adano said the Form 4 students were restive because of exam fever.
He said on Wednesday that he led a team of officers to the school on Tuesday and consequently calm was restored.
On Monday night, anti-riot police were deployed to the school in Kitui West subcounty after students threatened to cause mayhem, demanding an extension to night private study hours.
The security men from Ndolo’s Corner police station arrived to find raucous students surrounding the teachers staff quarters. They demanded that all teachers resident in the school leave the compound.
The police managed to calm down the students and herded them back to their dormitories.
"In fact, the Muthale issue is a small administrative matter that we have been able to resolve and calm has been restored. The form Fours have been gripped by exam fever and used the excuse of seeking the extension of prep time hours and alleged poor menu,” Adano said.
On Tuesday, the school principal Hellen Awuor informed police that she believed the brief night turbulence at the school was caused by misguided Form Four students.
Awuor said she did not understand why the students were restless as the school had allowed them enough time to study on their own.
The students study up to 10pm and go to bed at 11pm. In the morning, they wake up at 3am to study but the official time is 4am.
“They stay awake. There is no going to sleep. They are left to study throughout and only go to bed when they are exhausted. They wake up any time they wish. Actually, I would say this [demand for more time] has caught me unawares,” the principal said.
Muthale Girls School is a high-performing institution that is well regarded in Kitui county.
Over the years, it has registered sterling performance in KCSE exam, earning a place in the top 100 schools nationally.
Edited by Henry Makori