Trouble Brews At Mang'u High Over School 'hotel'

Mangu High School students during a past event.

Trouble is brewing at one of Kenyas oldest schools following a dispute between the chief principal and parents who accuse him of running a private hotel at the institution and increasing school fees, among a litany of other allegations.

According documents seen by , the chair of the Mangu High School Parents Association Benson Mwenje has filed a case in court and also petitioned the Kiambu County Education Board and the Ministry of Education, seeking action against the chief principal, John Kuria.

Thika Principal Magistrate Oscar Wanyaga has already issued a temporary injunction to stay the increase of second term school fees for Form One learners from Sh33,750 to Sh37,615.

According to the documents in court, Mr Mwenje alleges that Mr Kuria built a hotel in 2024 that he micromanages himself within the school compound which sells to students chicken, sausages and other luxurious foods not in tandem with the usual lifestyle that is conducive for study in public schools.

Mangu High School is one of the most sought-after national schools in Kenya with a history of good performance in national examinations. Some of its former students have gone on to be leaders in different sectors of the economy.

The said hotel has led to parents receiving complaints that some students are washing clothes for others in order to afford the luxurious foods. The hotel has created great class and social stratification. Students are spending a lot of time in this hotel than is normal hence parents are apprehensive of its existence, the court document reads.

The applicant claims that there are audit queries going on on suspected embezzlement of funds at the school and that a parents association meeting called by the principal was intended to remove him (PA chair) from his position for advocating transparency and accountability in the management of the school. The case will be mentioned on May 7, 2024, just a day after schools open, and a hearing date to be fixed.

In the letter to the county education office, the PA chair alleges that the chief principal is due to retire by the end of this year and invites the board to intervene in the matters affecting the management of the school.

Mr Mwenje first went to the chief magistrates court on April 2 2024 seeking orders to stop a meeting at the school the following day. Although Chief Magistrate Stella Atambo granted him the stay orders he sought, the meeting went ahead and according to a letter to all parents by Mr Kuria and John Kanyoni was reportedly elected the new chair of the PA.

The school canteen is run as per the schools regulations. Improvements to the canteen or what should be sold or not is under discussion by the PA executive and the school infrastructure committee, said the principal.

He said that the school has submitted books of accounts to the auditor-general and that it is in good financial health.

In the letter to the principal secretary for Basic Education Belio Kipsang and copied to the Teachers Service Commission, Mr Mwenje alleges that the school principal admitted 1,164 Form Ones in 2024 while it lacks the capacity to accommodate such a number. The letter has also been received by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Auditor-general.

It accuses the principal of charging a section of Form One parents (600 700) an extra Sh25,000 over and above the approved fees that was not sanctioned by the board of management, parents or government via an illegal paybill number during admission.

In an escalation of the dispute, the PA chair, through Munene Kinyua and Associates Advocates, has filed another case seeking to have the school principal cited for contempt of court for convening the meeting on April 3 2024 against the court orders staying the same.