On the night of July 13, 1991, tragedy struck at St. Kizito Mixed Secondary School in Meru in one of the darkest moments in Kenya’s history.
It began after boys at the school protested over poor conditions and went on strike. When the girls refused to join them, tension turned deadly.
That night, a large group of boys forced their way into the girls’ dormitory after cutting the lights. In the chaos that followed, 19 girls lost their lives after being trampled or suffocated, while dozens of others were assaulted and seriously injured.
The incident shocked the entire country including the then president Daniel Arap Moi who upon hearing the news of the rampage arrived there in slippers. Many Kenyans were even more angered by some early reactions from officials, which appeared to downplay the suffering of the victims.
After investigations and a lengthy court process, several students were convicted and jailed. The school itself was later closed and renamed, but the pain left behind never truly disappeared.
More than 30 years later, the St. Kizito tragedy is still remembered as a painful lesson about school safety, violence, and the protection of girls in learning institutions.
It remains one of the most heartbreaking chapters in Kenya’s history.
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