High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi has awarded Ksh600,000 in compensation to a parent whose two children were unjustly expelled from Makini School.
The minors were reportedly expelled following a reported disagreement with their father, who is a member of the institution’s Parents Teachers Association.
The father had allegedly raised issues over the institution’s regional managing director Horace Mpanza. Some of the issues raised included a high turnover of teachers through dismissal and Mpanza’s alleged ‘aggressive behaviour’. The papers also cited carrying firearms within the school compound, smoking within the institution in the presence of learners, and erection of a smoking zone within the school.
On July 7, 2023, Head Teacher Catherine Njuguna removed the children from class, handed them termination letters, and directed them to wait for their parents.
Through their mother, the minors filed a lawsuit, claiming the expulsion was unjustified.
Advocate Apollo Mboya, representing the family, told the court that the children were top performers with no disciplinary issues. He argued the expulsion caused severe emotional distress and cruel, degrading treatment.
Mboya criticized the school’s actions as “precipitate, hasty, petty, malicious, capricious, draconian, and discriminatory,” highlighting the emotional toll it took on the children and their family.
Justice Mugambi ruled that the school violated the minors’ dignity and mental well-being.
