Two Catholic schools are among six in Kenya where students have caused havoc during this week alone, damaging property and disrupting learning and mock examinations currently in process.

The latest incident happened at dawn on Thursday, July 15, 2004, at the Catholic-sponsored Tala (Boys) High School in the Diocese of Machakos.

All 800 students were sent home after some of them rioted and burned down buildings and other property, allegedly protesting against the recent posting of a new deputy headmaster to the institution within the Diocese's Kanzalu Deanery.

"It was about 3:00 am when the students started shouting," Fr David Muvaa, a teacher chaplain at the school told CISA.

The students, Fr Muvaa said, went on to raze two classrooms, an administration block, the examinations office, a general store, three other offices and car belonging to their deputy headmaster.

"I think they lack counsel and responsibility," the cleric said.

On Tuesday night (July 13, 2004) in Kilungu Deanery of the southern parts of the same diocese, students of Thome Andu Boys Secondary School went on the rampage and burnt their school, allegedly led by candidates who did not want to sit for the ongoing mock examinations.

Since the beginning of July, students in several other non-Catholic schools in the country have also been sent home following riots and destruction. These include Kambala Girls School, Mama Ngina Mixed Boarding School and Njoro Girls, all in Nakuru District. Another institution, Nyang'ori High School in Vihiga, Kakamega District, has also been affected twice recently, though it has now re-opened for learning.

"It looks like they have no sense of belonging," said Mr David Nguli, the Education secretary for Machakos Diocese, commenting on the student unrest, when contacted by CISA. "It is a reflection of society."

Analysts agree with this position, when they say that violence demonstrated publicly by many Kenyan leaders is now bearing sour fruit in certain quarters.

A spokeslady at the Catholic Education Commission at the Kenya Catholic Secretariat in Nairobi told CISA that they would comment only after investigations were complete.

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