Kericho Principal Magistrate Fredrick Nyakundi has ruled that eight students of Litein Boys High School be held at Litein Police Station for seven days to allow police to complete investigations into the recent arson attack at the school.
The suspects, arrested on Sunday night, are facing charges of arson, burglary, and malicious property damage.
They were reportedly found in possession of items believed to have been stolen from staff quarters.
The court also heard that crucial information linking them to other suspected planners of the unrest may soon lead to further arrests.
Magistrate Nyakundi ordered that the respondents be detained for seven days to enable the investigating officer to conduct and complete investigations into the alleged offences.
Media outlets were barred from publishing images or videos of the suspects after lawyers, led by Naima Chelangat, argued that the minors’ identities must remain protected.
Police further noted that several school items, including laptops and property belonging to teachers, are still missing.
The students’ protest was linked to their alleged refusal to sit for the Apex Examination, a joint mock exam undertaken by several institutions in Kericho.
One student questioned why the school insisted on the test ahead of the national KCSE exams.
Other sources alleged that suspicions of the principal’s refusal to facilitate examination leakage also fuelled the unrest.
Complaints from parents about police teargas use during a previous strike reportedly made officers reluctant to intervene this time.
Parents have now been left frustrated. Kennedy Cheruiyot, one of them, lamented that they continue to bear the heavy cost of repairing damages whenever students riot.
