'I don't owe the school a cent': Malindi businessman threatens legal action over son's lockout

The recent wave of unrest in Kenyan secondary schools has left many parents worried about their children's safety.

But for one father in Malindi, the bigger frustration came after the smoke had cleared.

Instead of arguing about burnt dormitories or student discipline, he found himself questioning whether schools can introduce new charges without first seeking parents' consent.

Electrical appliances businessman Alpha Kaumbuthu says he is preparing legal action against his son's school after the institution allegedly denied the student entry over charges he says were imposed without his approval.

The former lecturer at the University of Nairobi's story has elicited a lot of discussion by similarly aggrieved parents as seen on his Facebook page Chabari Hon Alpha.

Pulse is withholding the name of the school to protect the identity of the minor.

From a burnt dormitory to a courtroom?

Chabari, a former lecturer at the University of Nairobi - says the dispute traces back to a fire that destroyed one of the school's dormitories shortly after students had been recalled from an earlier closure prompted by fears of unrest.

According to Alpha, students had initially been sent home after reports that they were planning to riot.

Rather than wait for the scheduled midterm break, the school recalled them for a few days before they were expected to break again. Within days of reopening, a dormitory was set ablaze.

Like many parents, Alpha says he was asked to accompany his child back to school. Each parent was also required to pay KSh3,500 towards the damage.

He says he paid the amount, despite disagreeing with the decision.

"I sympathised with the losses fellow parents got," he explained in a Facebook post.

His bigger concern, however, is what happened next.

According to him, his son was stopped at the school gate because he had not paid additional charges for remedial classes and other programmes that Alpha says were never discussed with him.

That, he argues, crossed a line.

Alpha says he has no issue paying for damage caused by his own child if there is evidence.

His argument is that schools should investigate incidents, identify those responsible and hold the affected families accountable instead of spreading the cost across every parent.

He also questions why parents should automatically shoulder extra costs whenever schools face disciplinary challenges, especially when institutions have surveillance systems and disciplinary structures meant to establish responsibility.

"I represent my child and that's it"

The businessman also takes issue with what he describes as a growing trend of schools introducing additional levies through class representatives or parent communication channels, leaving parents feeling they have little choice but to pay.

In his case, he says he chose not to pay for remedial classes because he had never approved the programme.

Instead of confronting school administrators at the gate, he put his position in writing.

In part of the letter sent to the school through his son's class teacher, Alpha wrote:

"I understand that the school is demanding fees and expenditures that were imposed on me without my consent.

Please note that if the school has a remedial program or any other activity that would increase the cost of the child in school, I expect a direct request for my consent before enrolling him to such activities."

He went further, rejecting the idea that other parents could authorise expenses on his behalf.

"I have not authorised anybody, including the so-called class rep, to make decisions on my behalf. No one asked for my vote and I never gave it. I represent my child and that's it."

Alpha concluded the letter with a warning that if his son was not readmitted as scheduled, he would seek legal redress.

His experience has since sparked debate online, with parents divided over collective penalties imposed after school unrest.

While some argue that shared responsibility encourages accountability among families, others believe schools should pursue those directly responsible instead of introducing blanket charges that affect every parent, regardless of whether their child was involved.