Father sues school after daughter suspended for hugging fellow student
The Milimani High Court has referred a case to Kerugoya Law Courts in which a parent is seeking orders compelling Karoti Girls High School and its principal, Purity Riungu, to readmit his daughter.
Justice Chacha Mwita on Thursday, September 18, 2025, directed that the matter be mentioned before a judge at the Kerugoya High Court on September 24, 2025.
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The case was filed by PM (name withheld to protect the student’s identity), who lodged a certificate of urgency at the Milimani Constitutional and Human Rights Division. He wants the court to intervene after what he describes as an unlawful suspension of his daughter, citing violations of her constitutional rights.
In his supporting affidavit, PM claims that the suspension stems from allegations of a relationship between his daughter and another student. He says teachers, including the deputy principal, openly stigmatised and humiliated the girls as lesbians, with remarks such as “huyo bwana yako anakungojea” being directed at his daughter.
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According to PM, the ordeal began on March 25, 2025, when his daughter was beaten and coerced by teachers into writing a false confession after being accused of hugging another student.
“On or about March 25, 2025, the minor was summoned to the staff room by teacher Grace Waweru, where she was shown CCTV footage in the presence of teacher Rosemary Maina and teacher Mr Wanjohi,” part of the petition read.
“Under duress, coercion, and fear of further violence, she was compelled to write a self-incriminating statement admitting to being a lesbian, a statement she did not believe to be true,” PM states in his petition.
The father is now asking the court to compel the school to re-admit his daughter without conditions, under the oversight of children’s officers and the Ministry of Education, to allow her to continue with her studies.
“That this honourable court be pleased to issue an order directing the immediate and unconditional re-admission of the minor to Karoti Girls High School, under the protection and oversight of the County Children’s Officer – Kirinyaga County, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), the County Director of Education – Kirinyaga County and the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education,” part of the application read.
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PM also wants the court to issue a temporary stay order restraining the school from taking any further disciplinary action against his daughter pending the hearing and determination of the petition.
Additionally, he has asked the court to summon Principal Purity Riungu to personally appear before it to explain why she should not be cited for contempt for allegedly disobeying court orders issued on August 11, 2025. He further seeks the issuance of a warrant of arrest, to be enforced by police, should the principal fail to comply.
The father argues that his daughter has been subjected to “continued persecution” by the principal and the school administration since her suspension on July 14, 2025, on allegations of indiscipline.
He says he had notified the school through his advocate on August 25, 2025, that the student would resume classes on August 27. However, on August 26, he received an SMS from the principal summoning them to appear for a disciplinary hearing scheduled for September 2, 2025, a move he says disregarded the court process.
PM insists that the matter raises significant questions about the enforcement of children’s protection from discrimination. He warns that unless the court intervenes, his daughter will remain out of school, suffering what he terms “irreparable harm, humiliation, trauma and denial of her constitutional right to education.”
