Channel 15 News has exclusively established what really happened at St Ursula Tungutu Girls’ Secondary School after five Muslim students sparked a heated controversy that quickly spread across social media and parts of Kitui County.
After speaking directly to school administrators and education stakeholders, Channel 15 News can now confirm that the five students were disciplined after sneaking out of the school without permission during Eid ul-Fitr celebrations — not for wearing the hijab as had earlier been claimed.
According to officials at the school, the situation began when the five students were discovered missing during a routine roll call, prompting the administration to immediately alert education authorities in Kitui.
Sources who spoke to Channel 15 News said the students — two of them Form Four candidates — allegedly jumped over the school fence and travelled to Kitui town where they joined other Muslim faithful celebrating Eid.
The incident triggered a search that lasted several hours before the students returned to the school compound later in the afternoon accompanied by members of the Muslim community and local leaders.
School administrators maintained that the matter being handled is one of discipline rather than religious discrimination, insisting that Muslim students at the institution are allowed to wear the hijab.
Parents of the affected students were later called to the school and the situation explained to them, with the administration indicating that the matter is being handled internally while taking into account that some of the learners are candidates preparing for national examinations.
The incident has since sparked widespread debate across Kitui County and beyond, with education officials expected to issue further clarification as the matter continues to attract national attention.
