Public outrage has spread across Kenya after video footage emerged showing teachers at Forest Primary School in Kiminini Constituency, Trans Nzoia County, allegedly assaulting a woman who had visited the school over a dispute involving lunch fees.
Citizen
Lunch-fee dispute at Forest Primary School
The incident, which occurred around October 6, 2026, involved a woman identified as Dona Makena (also referred to as Makena Donah Ngatia). She had gone to the school after her Grade 7 brother was sent home over outstanding lunch levies, despite other fees having been paid and examinations underway. She sought to have him allowed to sit his exams and take lunch at home. Thekenyatimes
Video clips recorded inside the staffroom show a chaotic scene in which several male staff members grab, shove and wrestle with Makena as she tries to free herself. In a subsequent clip, she is seen kneeling on the floor with her wrists bound by a black cloth or rope, crying out in distress. She repeatedly appeals to her father, saying she is bleeding after being kicked and attempting to show her injuries. Her father, who had intervened, was also involved in a physical confrontation with people in the room. Other staff members are visible sitting at desks during the incident.Citizen
Makena’s allegations and calls for an inquiry
In her account, Makena alleged that the headteacher, David Simiyu, and other teachers, including Naphtali Odunga and John Khamala, as well as a school watchman, assaulted her. She claimed she was grabbed, hit against a wall, kicked in the lower abdomen (an area sensitive due to a previous Caesarean section), struck with a PVC pipe and other objects, and then restrained after a watchman was called. She said she pleaded for help while bleeding. Westernkenyatimes
The footage has triggered widespread condemnation on social media, with many Kenyans demanding action against those involved and questioning how a disagreement over school charges escalated into violence. The case has also drawn attention to ongoing tensions over school levies that parents sometimes view as irregular or burdensome.Tuko
As of the latest reports, the school administration and relevant education authorities had not issued a detailed public response, and the allegations had not been independently verified through formal investigations. The videos continue to circulate, amplifying calls for accountability and a full inquiry into the events at Forest Primary School.