Bishop Sulumeti Girls Students Hospitalised After Police Use Tear Gas to Quell School Unrest
Several students from Bishop Sulumeti Girls’ High School in Kakamega County were rushed to hospital on Sunday night after reportedly suffering the effects of tear gas during a police operation to contain unrest at the institution.
The incident unfolded on the evening of June 7 after students allegedly staged protests over a prolonged water shortage that had reportedly disrupted normal activities at the school.
According to preliminary reports, tensions escalated when a section of students took to the school compound demanding immediate action from the administration. Witness accounts suggest that the demonstrations grew increasingly chaotic as the evening progressed.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that some students switched off the school’s main power supply and began throwing stones while chanting, “We want to go home.” However, the exact sequence of events leading to the unrest had not been independently verified by the time of publication.
As the situation deteriorated, police officers were reportedly called in to restore order. Authorities are said to have deployed tear gas to disperse the students and prevent further damage to school property.
During the intervention, several students reportedly experienced breathing difficulties and other tear gas-related effects, with some collapsing and requiring urgent medical attention.
The affected students were later taken to Lumakanda County Hospital, where they received treatment and observation from medical personnel.
Videos circulating online showed several students lying on hospital beds while others were seen coughing heavily as healthcare workers and caregivers administered first aid and monitored their condition.
The exact number of students treated had not been confirmed by Sunday night.
School administrators and local government officials had yet to issue a comprehensive statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the unrest or the condition of the affected learners.
The incident adds to growing concerns over a rising wave of unrest in Kenyan secondary schools. Recent months have seen multiple institutions disrupted by strikes, demonstrations and fire incidents, prompting renewed debate over student welfare and conditions in schools.
Education stakeholders have increasingly urged the Ministry of Education to review the second-term academic calendar, arguing that the current schedule places excessive pressure on learners. However, the ministry has consistently rejected calls for an early mid-term break.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has also opposed proposals to alter the school calendar, arguing that such a move would be costly and difficult to implement.
As investigations into the Bishop Sulumeti Girls incident continue, parents and education officials are expected to seek answers over the circumstances that led to the protests and the subsequent police response.
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