Ugandan students caught up in Kenya protests return home

Several Ugandan pupils studying in Busia, Kenya have returned home after their schools were closed due to fears of violent protests in the country.

Supporters of veteran politician Raila Odinga have taken to the streets since Wednesday this week to protest against the high cost of living.

While the situation is calm, many shops have remained closed and the usually busy Busia-Kisumu highway is deserted.

On the Ugandan side of the border, long queues of trucks began to form on Wednesday.

Henry Ochieng, a trader at the Busia border, said Thursday morning that several schools, especially on the Busia-Kenya route, had closed and pupils had been told to go home.

He said on a normal day, more than seven buses from Kenya cross the border to the Ugandan side to pick up students, but this had not happened since Wednesday.

"Most of the schools where Ugandans study across the border in Kenya were closed yesterday (Wednesday)," he said.

Many parents in Busia district, Uganda prefer to send their children to study in Kenya because the schools teach Kiswahili, which is not well-established in Ugandan schools.

They also believe that Kenyan nursery schools offer a better foundation than those in Uganda.

Ms Annette Mukisa, a parent whose child studies at St Joseph Primary School, said her daughter is preparing for final exams and the closure of the schools could affect her performance.

Kenya's Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Thursday encouraged the schools to reopen, saying the ministry had put in place "adequate measures to ensure the safety of learners".

Mrs Josephine Apio, a resident of Mugungu in Busia town who has six children studying in different schools in Kenya, said when she went to collect some of them, many of the children had already left.

However, she said two of her children studying at St Mathias High School and Kisoko School were yet to return home.

She added that there should be a quick solution to end the unrest in Kenya so that her children can return to school.

This publication has established that schools such as St Mary's Nursery, St Mathias High School and St Joseph Primary School have been closed.

St Mary's Nursery School, which has a large number of Ugandan pre-school children, was also closed, but some of the children whose parents had not yet picked them up were still at the school.

At St Mathias High School, authorities said they were monitoring the political situation in the country before making a decision on reopening.

Eliud Masahi, the school's deputy headteacher, said last week they had witnessed "ugly running scenes" between police and rioters and had "several tear gas canister accidents within the school premises".

"As a result, many of our students are staying at home, apart from those in the boarding section," Mr Masahi said.