Corpun file 14615

East African Standard, Nairobi, 14 November 2004

Students Protest Caning in School

Nairobi: More than 100 students marched for over 40 kilometres to the Standard offices yesterday afternoon protesting against the caning of seven of their colleagues by teachers.

The students displayed the whip marks on their backs and limbs, which they said were inflicted by their teachers.

Even after corporal punishment was banned as a form of discipline, it is still meted out on students of Kanunga High School, Kiambu.

They alleged that their teachers are used to beating them contrary to the Children's Act 2001. "The teachers whipped us mercilessly after we disagreed with them on the best way to be served at the dining hall," one student revealed.

However, the head teacher, Mr David Kamau dismissed their claims saying most of those who were protesting had been summoned for disciplinary action.

"They bullied some Form Ones and now they are seeking cheap sympathy to escape punishment," said Kamau.

Kamau and two teachers followed the students to our offices. When he tried to address the students, urging them to go back to school, they booed him.

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