St. George’s Girls Closed Indefinitely After Student Protest Over Alleged Assault

St. George’s Girls Secondary School in Nairobi was closed indefinitely on Monday after students staged an overnight protest following an alleged assault involving a teacher and a Form Three student.

The incident reportedly occurred around 9:30pm on Sunday, when a student suffered a jaw injury during an altercation with a teacher. The student, who wears dental braces, had been observing a rare “blood moon” during a full solar eclipse along with others when the confrontation took place. Details surrounding the incident remain unclear, but the injury prompted a strong response from the student body.

More than 1,800 students took part in the protest, dismantling the school’s main gate and marching onto Dennis Pritt Road. The demonstration continued with a sit-in and a procession towards the nearby Royal Media Services offices. Efforts by school staff and local officials to calm the situation were unsuccessful, as students continued to demand accountability.

Police officers arrived shortly after midnight and managed to escort the students back onto school grounds. However, the students declined to return to their dormitories and maintained the protest throughout the night. Officers remained stationed at the school entrance to monitor the situation.

By morning, the protest had attracted senior officials including the Dagoretti North Subcounty Commissioner, representatives from the Ministry of Education, and Kilimani OCPD Patricia Yegon. Despite efforts to resolve the standoff, the school administration announced its indefinite closure at around 10:00am and directed students to vacate the premises within 20 minutes. Parents who had begun arriving were informed of the closure as it was being implemented.

The Ministry of Education is expected to investigate both the alleged assault and the damage to school property.