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Uproar at St George’s School as parents protest inappropriate body search of girls
St. George’S Girls’ Secondary School in Nairobi.
The norm would dictate that after a break, on the first day back to school, learners at St. George’s Girls Senior School along Dennis Pritt Road in Kilimani area would be welcomed by teachers at tents setup in the school field.
However, this time on Monday, reporting back was fraught with tension and an unusual routine. The tents were devoid of any teachers to welcome learners back after their parents dropped them off. The girls were instead directed by security guards to queue under a shed where police officers dressed in uniform and others in military fatigue were waiting.
Earlier, the school's management, like many others, had made the decision to close the institution on June 5, 2026 following unrest in nearby schools. As most parents picked up their children, they were unaware that a disturbing incident would later be narrated to them by their daughters.
“My daughter pulled her mother aside and told her that a woman had searched their bodies at the school’s tuck shop. She did not have gloves and she put her fingers in her private parts. That could expose the children to illnesses. What an insult,” *Adam, a parent who requested not to be identified, told the Nation.
“They cherry picked certain children and subjected them to a drug search done by a woman purporting to be a police officer who touched their private parts. Today, we have brought our children back and funny enough, we have not gone through the process we normally do. Usually there is one teacher to check homework and another fee balances. Today there is no teacher. The security guards are the ones telling us to go to the office if one has a balance,” Brenda*, another parent who asked not to be identified, says.
They reckon the absence of teachers on opening day may be linked to complaints raised by the parents whose children were subjected to the inappropriate search.
“I first got wind of this when another parent posted on our social media group about what the girls had been through. When I asked my daughter, she confirmed that it happened,” *Brenda adds.
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Initial apology, then none at all
In a communication seen on a parent’s phone from the chief principal of the school, Assumpta Mwangi, she apologises for the incident and links it to concerns that had sprouted from the Utumishi Girls Senior School fire tragedy.
“When I authorised the measures that preceded the release of students on June 5, my foremost responsibility was to ensure that no risk, however small, was left unattended. I acknowledge that some of the processes and actions undertaken caused discomfort, concern or distress to some students and parents. If that was your experience, I am truly sorry,” the message reads.
In later communication via an official letter, Ms Mwangi states:
“Following consultations between the Board of Management, the P.A. executive and the alumni association, it was agreed that security screening is, for the time being, a necessary measure to safeguard the welfare of learners. However, the process will be guided by clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that will uphold the dignity of every learner. We also wish to clarify that while various allegations have circulated, no specific case of misconduct has of yet been substantiated for appropriate follow up by the administration.”
The Nation reached out to the school for a comment but they directed us to use the latter statement contained in the official letter, which unlike the earlier communication, does not contain a direct apology to parents and students.
The parents say that they are not opposed to drug searches in schools as they can prove to be important in curbing the vice. However, in this case, the means do not justify the end.
Another parent that the Nation spoke to says: “As a matter of fact, one child did say that when they were being searched, they were told that their parents had given consent and for sure we never did that. What happened was retrogressive, barbaric, uncalled for and outdated. The female police officer who did that should be prosecuted and the authority who gave that go ahead should be held fully accountable at the school.”
Under investigation
Kilimani Sub-county police commander Patricia Yegon, who also commands Kileleshwa Police Station, confirmed that the person who searched the girls is a police officer.
“The school is under the jurisdiction of Kileleshwa Police Station. They have an arrangement with the specialised K9 (canine) unit to conduct searches at the school. The incident concerning the conduct of the officer and the incident has been reported to police and it is under investigation,” Ms Yegon stated.
“The saddest thing is these children are candidates. They have about 100 days to their exams and all the work they have done for the past four years seems to have been watered down because this child will sit for their exams when they are in pain,” *Adam adds.
This is not the first time that controversy has mired St Georges Girls School. In December 2025, approximately 1,800 students at the institution staged a protest after one of them reportedly suffered a jaw injury from a teacher who had resorted to corporal punishment.
The students broke the school gate and poured into the streets at night demanding that the teacher be arrested. The school was then closed indefinitely afterwards before later being reopened.
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