School Demolition Sparks Outrage: Director Calls for Justice

On the morning of April 18th, 2024, the teachers, parents, and directors of St. Elizabeth-Karen woke up to a scene of shock and dismay as a section of their beloved school had been demolished overnight. The demolition, orchestrated by a private developer, was purportedly to pave the way for a road leading to a club owned by Peter Munyiri, the current High Commissioner to India.

Anne Wanjiku Munene, the school director, expressed disbelief, stating that the school had not been served with any court order justifying the demolition. She alleges that the act was driven by business rivalry between the school and Peter Munyiri, despite the school existing prior to his acquisition of the land.

In May 2024, a government surveyor from the Ministry of Lands conducted research and confirmed that the land allegedly needed for the road was not required, contradicting the developer’s claims. Munene, now widowed, is appealing to the government for justice, having suffered a loss of over 250 million Kenyan shillings due to the unlawful demolition.

The parents, already struggling to afford their children’s education, were appalled by what they deemed as cruelty. The demolition adds to the larger issue of public land insecurity in Kenya, with schools increasingly facing encroachment and land grabbing.

St. Elizabeth-Karen has been a pillar of education in the Lang’ata constituency for 27 years, renowned for its academic excellence. The purported road, which led to the demolition, was illegally added to maps, contrary to the original documents dating back to the school’s establishment in 1993.

As the community rallies behind St. Elizabeth-Karen, demands for accountability and justice resonate louder, highlighting the urgent need to protect public institutions from unlawful encroachment and ensure the integrity of Kenya’s educational landscape.