Abstract

Student conflicts in secondary schools are one of the most common challenges faced in the 21^st century in the modern world. Kenya has faced several incidents of student conflicts in Secondary schools mainly attributed to the cases of indiscipline and conflicts among students in the schools. In Kericho County, several incidences of student conflicts have been witnessed in the different schools, which have caused widespread material losses and other social impacts. The Specific objective was to examine the nature of Student Unrest in secondary schools in Kericho County. The study was underpinned by participative leadership theory and the functionalism theory. The study utilized the evaluation research design. The study was conducted in Kericho County. The study targetedthe following categories of respondents; students, teachers, school principals or head teachers, School boards of management, County director of education and Sub-county directors of education in Kericho county. Only 14% of the respondents agreed that there have been incidences of unrest in their schools within the last 3 years. However, this number is high considering the harm that the unrest causes. Manifestation of student unrest is usually through burning of dorms, fighting among students, boycotting classes, theft of school property, refusing punishment, bullying and striking against school administration. The causes of students include changes in government policies, poor administrative skills, congestion, inadequate and poor food quality, social media and political agitations.

Introduction

Instances of conflicts in schools caused by students are still rampant in Kericho County (Koross, 2015). This is happening in spite of the fact that there are student councils that are supposed to control the cases of student unrest. According to Koross (2015), Kericho County is one of the counties where student unrest was recorded to be rising in an alarming rate in 2015. Students cite different reasons behind their unrest. It is unfortunate that most of the conflicts escalate into dangerous unrests that cause economic, psychological and physical harm to the take holders.

1n 1999, Kericho Boys High School students raped and sexually molested a female teacher during conflicts (Kigotho, 2000). Such nasty incidences were happening in previous years. After the establishment of the student council in 2013, it was expected that the cases of conflicts in secondary schools would reduce. The council was supposed to act as a bridge between the administration and the students. However, in 2015 alone, incidences of student unrest in schools including Kericho Boys High, Londiani Boys High School, Keben Secondary School and Kiptewit Secondary School have shown that student unrest is a serious issue that has to be addressed in the county.Despite the existence of student council which is supposed to curb the conflicts caused by students, the cases are on the rise in Kericho County. This indicates that there is a problem as the student council has not been effectively able to mitigate conflicts caused by secondary school students. In this case, therefore, it is the prime interest of this study to examine the nature of student unrest in secondary schools in Kericho County, Kenya.

Methodology

The study was guided by the participative leadership theory and the functionalism theory. It utilized the descriptive research design. The respondents of the study included; students, teachers, school principals or head teachers, deputy principals, school boards of management, County director of education and Sub-county directors of education in Kericho county. To obtain results from the respondents, both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used. The study sampled 568 respondents comprising of 384 students, 120 teachers, 19 school heads or principals, 19 deputy principals, 19 members of the school boards of management, 1 County director of education and 6 sub-county directors of education. The methods of date collection included Questionnaires, Interviews and Focus Group Discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented through frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Qualitative data analysis utilized data coding and narrative analysis. It was presented in form of graphs, charts and tables.

Results and Discussion

Incidence of Unrests in Secondary Schools in Kericho County

When asked whether their schools have experienced any unrest while they were students, only 14% of the students agreed that there has been unrest since they joined the school. The remaining percentage indicated that there have not been cases of unrest in the school.

Figure 1 : Incidences Of Unrest In Schools

Source: Field Data, 2018

The results of the questionnaires show that most of the students have not experienced unrests in their schools. However, 14% is a high number considering the damages that school unrest in the current world is causing. During Focus Group Discussions with students, the majority pointed out that they have not had any serious unrest in the school. They have been disagreeing with the administration, but usually resolve the matters before they escalate into serious unrest. On the other hand, there were students who had witnessed serious unrest in the last 3 years. Several participants in the focus groups discussions explained how they were involved in a strike and why they were striking. They narrated the incidences and seemed to be traumatized by their actions. During the interview with the principals, the majority pointed out that there has not been serious unrest in the school that they are currently teaching. They argued that they have been doing the best they can to ensure that the students remain calm. One deputy principals from a school that has not experienced unrests in the last two decades said: We ensure that we have a strong student council that gives us information about the dissatisfaction of the students. We hold frequent meeting with the student council and encourage them to be our eyes. Further, we ensure that the senior students take care of the juniors and remain in control. They act as role models to the junior students and show them the culture of peace in this institution (Respondent, Kericho County, 2018). According to the sub-county directors of education interviewed, the county has experienced several major unrests in the last three years. The sub-county directors confirmed that there have been 4 main dormitory fires in 2018 alone. Schools which have witnessed the unrests have lost property worth thousands of money. Also, these respondents confirmed that there have been several cases of strikes in the county. The administration and the teachers can reduce the possibility of school unrest occurring through cooperating with students. Cowley (2001) points out that there can be a tendency for teachers to think that misbehavior is planned or premeditated by their students. She adds that whilst it is certainly true in some cases that students make conscious decisions to misbehave, in reality, the majority of poor behavior stems from very different factors. Cowley points out that if teachers understand some of these causes and learn ways to deal with them, they can avoid setting up situations where confrontations occur between them and the students. Waithaka (2005) adds that the success of instilling positive discipline, therefore, calls for the establishment of a relationship of trust and respect between the adult and the child. For the trust on students to bear fruits, there is a need for the students and administrators to have common ground and mutual interests or agreement where they work towards the same goals.The results of this study as revealed during the focus group discussions with the students’ show that the students who have been involved in unrests are remorseful for their actions. However, it is surprising that the cases of serious unrests continue to increase in Kenya every year, instead of reducing. They wish the factors that led to their misbehaving were handled before the escalation of the dispute to serious unrest. The consequences of the unrest are felt until the students complete their studies. They blame poor performance to the unrest as it destabilized their mind. They also waste a lot of precious time which should have been used positively in their studies. Mueni (2008) points out that students suffer academically or have high chances of low academic performance if they were involved in school unrest. Further, the schools experience difficulties in curriculum implementation, as they dedicate resources tomitigating the conflicts. Despite the remorse those involved experience, the effects of the unrest affect both students and the administration.

Manifestation Of Student Unrest In Schools In Kericho County

When asked to indicate the most common cases of indiscipline that has led to unrest in their respective schools, the result of the study was as follows.

Burning Of Dormitories

The researcher required the respondents to address whether the burning of dormitories had been witnessed in the recent past within a span of a year. The outcome was as in the herein Table1.

Table 1: Incidence Of Burning Of Dormitories

The occurrence of the burning of dormitories indicates a small percentage as not to a large extent as an indicator of unrest from school. This does not imply that the small percentage should be ignored. Its impact is felt in all forms of media. The unrests in schools are characterized by burning of buildings, especially dormitories, administration blocks, classrooms, and food stores. Conflict as a result of the burning of schools has an adverse effect to all in the nation not only at school levels. One of the interviewed principal said: With current technology in place, we can’t wait until it happens; the burning of schools is too expensive and lethal. Animosity develops within generations even leading to nationwide grudges. Our institution has installed fire/smoke detectors to solve the problem even before it begins. It works for us(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018). During the Focus Group Discussions with students, those who had their dormitories burnt down explained the experience with tears in their eyes. It was disheartening that their parents had to cater for the damages, which could have been avoided if they had used the right methods of channeling their disputes to the administration. According to one of the sub-county directors interviewed, there have been cases of burning dormitories in the county. He felt that the administration should have realized that there is a problem. Further, the respondent felt that the student council is in place even in those schools. There are enough student leaders in every school who should report any suspicious behavior. Nonetheless, the respondent does not put the entire blame on the administration as he agrees that it is hard and complex to deal with teenagers especially if they are under the influence of certain drugs or alcohol. The results of the study agree that burning of dormitories is a common manifestation of student unrest in secondary schools. The most common form of student unrest witnessed in Kenya over the recent years has been burning of school property. Cooper (2014) opines that students consider involving themselves in acts of unrest as an instrument of negotiation with the school authorities. However, Samuel &Changwony (2019) contradicts the finding by stating that unrest is brought about by the type of parenting style used. Parents should lower the expectations they place on their children, contribute emotional support, appreciation, and little control. For instance, in 1991, St. Kizito Mixed Secondary school dormitories were burned down and 19 students lost their lives as 70 girls were raped (Fransisca, 2012). Burning of school property has been noted in Kenya as one of the most used ways to manifest unrest in secondary schools.

Fighting Amongst Students:

Heated arguments result in fighting especially where the authority is not well represented in the classroom setting. This phenomenon seemed to take higher chances in day schools than boarding schools. Among the schools visited, only one boarding school cited a case of fighting of students in the recent past. Day schools tend to capitalize on the absence of school authority and end up exchanging fists on their way home. Such conflicts tend to extend to the communities where the learners reside. A clear display of the findings is tabled in Table 2.

Source: Field data, 2018

Most of the schools have tough rules prohibiting fighting. During the interviews with board members and school heads, they pointed out that they discourage any physical violence. They understand that the students can cause a lot of harm to each other if the conflict becomes physical. During the focus group discussions, most of the students also agreed that fighting can lead to expulsion. Therefore, they try their best not to fight as the consequences are not attractive. A respondent during the focus group discussion said: You don’t expect students to fight where tough rules are in place like suspension from school. Here we don’t fight. Better solutions are found. The students’ council and peer counseling groups work(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018).Irrespective of the tough rules that the schools in the county have put in place, cases of fighting among students is still evident. Sometimes the teenagers are unable to control their emotions and anger. They end up fighting, though the fights are not very serious. Further, the study showed that the fights which do not take place because of the strict rules often happen when the students are going home. During the interviews, a deputy principal said that:Girls always fight over boys when we are going home from school. Since they are out of school, we do not punish them as the information reaches us when it is too late. These are teenagers and they experience a lot of issues that make them keep grudges(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018). The board members interviewed agreed that it is practically impossible to have an environment that is totally free from fights when teenagers are concerned. However, they agreed that putting strict measures helps the student behave as they do not want to be on the wrong side of the law. Further, the board members emphasized that there should be good teachers who equip the student with the right knowledge. The role of the parents is crucial in ensuring that they bring up children in a violence-free family. According to the Bobo Doll Experiment of 1967, children who grow up in a violent environment end up being violent. They emulate the violent actions of the adults in their lives. Thus, as the board members agreed, most of the students who are found with fighting cases came from homes experiencing violence.

The results of the study agree that fighting occurs during school unrests. Drug abuse and poor parenting care are the leading cause of frequent fights in secondary schools in Kenya. Mwaniki (2018) projects out that the leading cause of fights in schools were highly orchestrated by student leaders or prefects. Fransisca (2012) adds that the special privileges given to prefects were also a leading source of conflict in secondary schools. Most of the fights were experienced with student leaders blaming the administration and students blaming prefects for administering corporal punishment and molesting students. According to Mwaniki (2018), students need to be involved in making school rules and reviewing them by the head teachers. Hence, avoiding the use of only prefects to contribute to overall school rules, which may be oppressive and vague, avoiding resentment, which leads to frequent fights and truancy.

Boycotting Classes:

The results indicate that most of the learners enjoy attending classes and most likely like learning. There is, however, a percentage of learners who are not happy about attending school or despite their efforts in class they are not doing well hence they boycott classes as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Boycotting Classes

One of the members of the student’s council cited that controlling learners boycotting classes is challenging. The interests of individual learners are better taken by teachers. The student council is usually unable to control such activities because they are in class when some naughty students boycott classes. In this case, the administration is the only solution. The student leaders try to encourage their colleagues to do the right thing, but they are sometimes absent because they have to be in class. According to the principals interviewed, sometimes students plan as a class not to attend a particular class for some reasons. One principal cited an example where students boycotted the lessons of a certain teacher because he was punishing them unfairly. The students claimed that the mathematics teacher was sending them out of class whenever they failed a question, yet his teaching method was wanting. They refused to attend any mathematics lesson until the administration intervened. However, the principals agreed that most of the times the boycott is not planned by a group. The study agrees with UNICEF (2011) report which argues that in most cases, individual students boycott classes for untold reasons. It is usually a personal decision and is punished individually. Indiscipline cases on the rise have led students to boycott attending classes. Strikes in secondary schools have been witnessed all over the world because of a lack of facilities and poor student-teacher relationships. The year 2008 experienced the highest number of classes boycotted as students felt left behind in their class work because of the post-election violence in 2007 which progressed to the following academic year as emphasized by Francisca (2012). For instance, Lema Girls Secondary school in 2008 asked for a break and the principle refused which led to a strike to attend classes as rumors spread that mock results would be substituted with the K.C.S.E results in case of cheating or exam leaks (Cooper, 2014). Main shareholders should actively participate in probing the root causes of student unrest and work on reversing the trends. However, with the student council in place, it was expected that the boycotting trend would reduce as the student would comfortably share with the council the problems they are going through, and it would be solved before escalation. Nonetheless, the boycotts are still evidence as shown in this study. It is unfortunate to note that the student council has not managed to be an effective bridge between the school administration and the students.

Refusing Punishment From Teachers :

Majority of the respondents agreed that students frequently refuse punishments from teachers as indicated in Table 4.

Table 4: Refusing Punishment From Teachers

Majority of the students are teenagers and are likely to make mistakes in school. However, sometimes they refuse to handle the punishment that the teacher gives if they think it is unjustified. During the focus group discussion, some of the students agreed that they refused to do a punishment by a teacher; which is considered a serious crime in most school and leads to suspension. During the interviews with the principals, they argued that there have been many cases of students refusing to do punishments. One principal argued that:In the current society where corporal punishment is illegal, learners test especially newly posted teachers on their reaction once their orders are rejected. This results in more severe cases like suspension from school or even being pushed outside the school gates to take assignments as it happened recently in our school. It was all in the social media(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018).The principals blame the refusal to do punishments to the societal cultures. As Murage (2012) argues, the breakdown of traditional values is a contributing factor to discipline problems in our schools. Traditional norms and customs are no longer valued in our modern society due to the influence of western culture. There is a breakdown of traditional ties due to urbanization, formal education, and white collar jobs, leading to individualism (Murage, 2012). The society is no longer concerned about the welfare of the child. The discipline of a child is left to the teacher who has too much to handle and only concentrate on academics. This has raised an undisciplined generation in the modern society. Further, the society makes the student believe that they have rights, and they should not be punished unfairly. As a result, the teachers are left with the responsibilities of instilling discipline in children who do not obey them. Also, there are frequent go-slows, demonstrations, and strikes amongst workers and professionals agitating for better pay and other rights in Kenya. Examples include teachers, doctors, nurses, lecturers among others.Young individuals must be guided by rules and regulation or they may cause mayhem in an institution. When students are caught on the wrong and punished by the teacher, they rebel and refuse to take the punishment leading to unrest in school. Cooper (2014) points out that the students refuse to take up punishments from their teachers especially when they realize the school administration does not value their staff. The author also gives an opinion that when the students are unruly they will not follow a teacher’s instruction if the rules of punishment used are not effective; hence give a leeway for students to boycott a punishment (Cooper, 2014). However, Samuel &Changwony (2019) argues that the biggest contributing factor to students’ refusal to obey teachers is because of how they are brought up by their parents. If their parents do not have an issue with their child talking back at them and disobeying, it reflects on the teachers. In April 1999, a student from Oklahoma Middle School shot at other students injuring five of them because he was tired of taking orders from the teachers and his parents as well as his fellow students (Cooper, 2014). In Kenya, refusal to take a teacher punishment contributed to the ban of corporal punishment and caning.

Bullying Of Learners :

Bullying occurs in a cycle or chain forming long-term bullying cultures in schools. According to Hoy &Miskel (2008), permanent grudges are formed from bullying of learners. During the interviews with the principals, they pointed out that learners who are bullied by the seniors tend to project the same to juniors and history repeats itself. Most of the bullying goes unnoticed by the school administration, teachers and even the student’s council. The bullied suffer inwardly as they fear more oppression by their seniors once discovered they reported. The school administrators have settled knowing bullying is over. The results of this study agrees with a study conducted by Kisilu (2013) that the hidden stress treated as ignorance by the oppressed from the authority erupts like volcano when the opportunity of transmission arises.

According to Abwere (2009), 70% of the learners have experienced bullying in one way or another. During the FGDs, the students argued that they were bullied when they joined the school. Some agreed that they also bullied someone to revenge on what was done to them. A response during a focus group discussion reported that:Our seniors have taught us songs which we sing for them. Even prayers on their bed seem ironical but we have to do it. They constantly remind us of the promotion night(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018).

Discrepancies in the questionnaire by the teachers and learners demonstrate the unknown for both. A questionnaire administered to both teachers and learners is tabled in table 5 addressing whether bullying of students has been a serious indiscipline problem experienced in 19 selected schools in Kericho County.

Table 5: Bullying Of Learners :

The figure demonstrates either a total ignorance from the teaching staff or an exaggeration by the learners. This, however, confirms a hidden truth which needs to be excavated further when it comes to bullying of learners. The discrepancy is a serious conflict on its own. It indicates a trend of students suffering under ignorance of those who are supposed to protect them.

Surprisingly, the administration and the board members keep on denying the truth. Majority of the board members interviewed said that there is no bulling in their schools. The principals also argued that bullying is a forgotten thing in this century. They were so confident in their answer that the research found reports of bullying, by student, in those schools intriguing. The response of the students, on the other hand, gives a very contradicting picture. A respondent principal argues: If the learners say they are bullied, this would be a lie. The kind of systems we have in place especially the student’s council ensures none of this is heard of.The administration expects that in the presence of a strong Student Council, there can be no bullying. Most principals argue that if there were cases of bullying, the student council would have reported the cases. However, Walsh (2009) cautions against expecting too much, too soon from a council. Duffy and Flynn (2010) found that there were unrealistic and often conflicting expectations of the student councils that lead to frustration and discouragement among the members. In this case, the administration should stop expecting too much from the student council and listen to the reality so that the children can stop suffering.The perception of the administrators encourages or facilitates bullying in schools. The concept that the administrators strongly believe there are no cases of bullying in their schools explain the continuation of the unrest without any reporting. The victims fear the repercussions of reporting the perpetrators, and when the teachers and principals say that students claiming to be bullied are lying shows the low possibility of retribution if the victims reported. Therefore, the bullies enjoy protection for their indiscipline from the people who should be protecting the victims from them. The study agrees with Walsh that the principals’ expectation from the student council could consciously or unconsciously promote incidents of school unrest when the expectations are not met.The results from the students confirm that bullying in secondary schools has over the years become a norm, especially for new comers. Prefects are the first bullies most new students have to deal with. According to Nyaga (2019) most secondary schools in Kenya continue to bully each other because they were also bullied and find the system hard to eradicate. Head teachers rarely do anything about it, hence the reason why it thrives in most secondary schools in Kenya (Nyaga, 2019). Christian unions and guidance and counseling groups work hand in hand to eliminate bullying by showing students its effects on academic performance and self-esteem (Karanja& Bowen, 2012). In 1999, four prefects from Nyeri High School were torched in their sleep using petrol (Cooper, 2014). This showed hate among students of the highest order based on the consistent bullying experienced in school from student leaders. In Upper Hill High School, a student was molested and lost his life in the process. Nyaga (2019) points out that the head teacher, stakeholders, prefects, and students should work together in ensuring the school rules are strict and well defined especially on the issue of bullying as it may cause other unrest issues in school. Bullying is also evidently displayed on how teachers treat students who have poor grades in class and this lowers their self-esteem opting to rebels towards the school administration and the whole system as well creating unrests which lead to strikes and destruction of property and the school term.

Striking Against School Administration:

The results from Focused Group discussion and Interviews indicated that the students strike against school administration. According to the sub-county directors of education interviewed, teacher transfers and administrational changes play a great role in the school unrest in the county. This may be politically instigated, or the Newton’s first law of motion taking place in nature where bodies resist change. Some administrators create a good rapport to the extent that a change may not auger well with the learners, parents and other stakeholders. According to the students as indicated during the FGDs, it is supposedly true that some policies developed by school administrators without involving all the stakeholders partly play a great role in the schools unrest. In a focus group discussion, some learners openly admitted that introduction of porridge during tea break rather than tea was not in agreement and it was a cause of unrest within the learning institution. The introduction of new policies angered also the parents who made the situation worse. They influenced the students to strike against the administration. One of the students said: Our parents could not hold their anger when the school management brought additional charges on school bus without consulting them. We can’t have a vehicle carrying out public services and our parents are told to pay its maintenance cost(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018).The results of the study agree with the study conducted by Buhere in (2008) which identified poor administration as a primary cause of student unrest. Mostly, school administration enacts policies affecting student’s welfare without consultation with the students. Therefore, there is increased dissent amongst students during the implementation of such school policies. In many cases, where the school administration remains hard-headed, students often resort to violent protests as a tool of expressing their dissenting views. This often leads to loss of school property and in worse cases fatalities. Most secondary schools around the world provide a means by which students can point out burning issues. Through observation method, the results of the study conform that in Kericho County, suggestion boxes are displayed so that students can write down what is bothering them. Unfortunately, their concerns are never dealt with until it is too late and students destroy property and risk each other’s lives. In 1990, Nigerian students rioted against the administration causing immense damage of school property and the police had to be deployed to calm down the students (Francisca, 2012). In Kenya students have also been pissed off by corruption cases as the schools governing boards, hiked fees, and provision of poor quality school supplies leading to student dissatisfaction as pointed out by Samuel &Changwony (2019). Students follow up and identify corrupt principles who allow external influence affect how a school is run and strike against the administration. The year 2008 was the worst year as it was marred with student strikes as the students felt the school administration was not supportive enough when it came to academics and living school conditions. The 2007/2008 post-election violence displaced many students and some were not able to go back to school and sit for their final year examinations. The school administration had a huge role to play in supporting and encouraging students to continue learning despite the insecure state of the nation (Cooper, 2014). Ministry heads on the other hand could be heard stating that the mock exams would be used as a final result if cases of cheating were to rise. School administrators had a role to rule out the rumors that caused so many strikes that year, which led to massive loss of school property. Striking against the student administration has deep rooted causes among students and it is often one of the main reasons most secondary schools go on strike in Kenya.

Causes of Student Unrest in Secondary Schools in Kericho County:

In Kericho County, the unrests as described are attached to several causes as outlined by this study.

Changes In Government Policies:

Buhere in (2008) argues that frequent changes in government policies without consulting all stakeholders seem to carry a lot of weighty in the conflict development. During the interviews with board members, they agreed that most severe unrest like burning of schools seems to be invoked by untimely government policies. Focus group discussions seemed to base the unrest in schools to have been caused by sudden transfer of teachers and new examination rules. A mysterious march on percentage of 80% on this area for both teachers and learners was a timely emphasis that the government is not doing enough public participation before enacting most of the rules.The results of the study indicate that students may not appreciate the government policies instituted at a specific time. They may feel that a policy such as frequent transfer of teachers does not help solve the issues they are experiencing. For instance, the transfer of school heads and teachers often does not assist deal with the issue of inadequate teachers or the level of discipline in an institution. Mackatiani et al. (2016) argue that when the government is involved without major consultations from the concerned parties, there is bound to be resentment from one side. Correspondingly, Ngwokabuenui (2015) also states that when government policies frequently change without any positive impact on the institution and student, they will reject the new intervention. Changes in policy decisions foster umbrage among students causing unrest.In Kenya, Lenana high school and MoiGirls have witnessed strikes because of policies instituted by the government, and they felt they were not in line with their overall goals as an institution. According to National Crime Research (2017), subordinates have been used as puppets to perpetuate student unrest if the school administrative management is not content with the policies. Policies such as making education free in secondary schools have proven to be a challenge as large public schools with boarding facilities cannot continue to run smoothly without funds from parents as what the government is providing cannot sustain a student at a time in school (Mackatiani et al, 2016). Moreover, this has created conflict, and pressure builds up among students leading to student relentlessness.

Poor Administrative Skills:

Poor administrative skills come second as a key factor as it cuts across from the principal to the student’s council. During the FGDs, the respondents argued that some principals are conspicuously absent from schools, either running businesses or in learning institutions. The deputies with less authority are left to run the institutions. Being overworked and overloaded reduces the output. As a result, there is misappropriation of school funds which leaves some services not administered, or poorly done. This leads to conflict with the beneficiaries. Besides, pool administrative skills lead to poor conflict mitigation strategies, which overlook the students’ reactions to the environment. Before students engage in any form of unrest, there are always telltales that there is a change in the wind. Proper administrative skills would be quick to note and identify such telltales, but with poor administration, the students dissenting views or indiscipline issues come to light a little bit too late when the unrest occurs.The results of the study confirm that excellent communication across an organization is vital for progression. All administrative heads must strive to use a system that is fair and addresses the main concerns raised by its employees. Cheloti et al (2014) propose that principal authorities are the primary decision-makers of an institution as they act as change agents. However, the author states that the decision-maker must consult relevant stakeholders, teachers, and students for the solution to be efficient. In Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, high truancy and insolence to staff has been on the rise. The situation has been attributed to peer pressure and how the school administration works. Chelotiet al. (2014) highlight that students report cases to the administration expecting something to be done. Unfortunately, the issues go unresolved. According to a report by the National Crime Research (2017), students in Kenya have been known to strike when the administration is not working effectively. The research gives a list of schools like Kagumo High school in Nyeri and Kokuru secondary school in Migori who burned down school property when the issues affecting them were not taken seriously by the administration of the school. The school administration can work together with student leaders closely to ensure that concerns raised are handled to assist students to reach their academic and life goals through transparency.

Large Class Sizes And Congestion In Dormitories :

Large class sizes and congestion in dormitories comes third with 48% vote on being common in relation to school supplies and the demand. One on one contact which is the number one policy in education is ignored, leaving the learners under the survival for the fittest natural law. Struggling for space brings conflict as other learners develop hard lines. One sub-county director interviewed argued that the students become unruly when the teacher has no direct contact because of their large numbers. It becomes hard for the administration, including the student council, to detect changes in moods which can provide prior suggestions that there will be unrest. Consequently, most of the unrests get the administrations off-guard. The government of Kenya introduced free primary education, which was successful and later introduced free secondary school education. Free secondary education faces immense challenges as it is more involving and requires more facilities compared to primary schools (Mackatiani, 2016). Thus, parents have to pay school fees to cater to other services the student will receive, especially in boarding facilities such as food, dorms and food. The system has led to an influx of students with several public schools experiencing congestion in classes and in the dormitories (National Crime Research, 2017). The government funded the building of more classes and dormitories but the high number of recipients from free primary education is overwhelming the secondary education system. Students across the country are experiencing congested classes that make learning and teacher-student management difficult. The dorms are also congested, thus, movement and privacy becomes an issue to students. According to Mackatiani (2016) the students feel compelled to have larger classes, more dormitories, and teachers. If the conditions worsen, it is also a risk to their health and mental well-being which is a leading factor to student unrest in secondary schools. Well performing public secondary schools such as Jamhuri High school and Aquinas high school have had too much congestion in their dormitories as well as classrooms. The government and relevant stakeholders should work together with school heads and find a solution before the situation escalates out of hand as it may cause serious damage to existing school property (Cheloti et al, 2014). Student-teacher relationships become far-fetched due to the high number of students and many classes. The teachers become exhausted due to their limited number, and large workload that they may fail to deliver and students become frustrated by it, causing unrest.

Inadequate And Poor Quality Food :

Inadequate poor quality food which may seem to marry with mismanagement comes about due to poor storage or hardships during different times of the year. “Sometimes we have our food filled with paraffin which makes it disgusting,” argues a respondent during the FGDs. This may look as a mishandling of food but repeatedly it does not go unnoticed. The learners will detect malice then over react. In most cases, as indicated during the FGDs, the students complain about the poor quality food. However, the management ignores or is too busy to concentrate with such matters. In this case, therefore, the students are left with no option but to strike to capture the attention of the administration. The results of the study confirm that students who are not well fed end up causing chaos in school. On several occasions, students in secondary schools have reported that the food served in their schools is of poor quality. In other instances, they have tried to prove to the administration that their food has paraffin. Such cases have led to demonstrations from students in schools such as Karoti girls in Kirinyaga. In agreement with these results, the National Crime Research (2017) has also noted that several students have complained about the kind of food they eat and their rations. The lack of quality food supplied in very low quantities, especially to growing teenagers, is a devastating problem that leads to school unrest. Ngwokabuenui (2015) further supports the results in stating that students would entirely thrive and concentrate where they are certain that they will have quality and enough food supplies. However, as pointed out by some BoM members during interviews, Kenya has witnessed corruption from individuals in the school board or Parents Associations where you will find individuals provided with tenders to supply food to institutions, but they do no deliver the stated quantity and quality of supplies. In such situations, the administration is responsible for ensuring that they follow up on what is procured without practicing favoritism on individuals they are certain are cash cows (Cooper, 2014). Student leaders have also been blamed on their lack of action in facilitating student complaints when it comes to the issue of food as some institutions have been known to give student leaders special preferences. With such preference student leaders are blinded in noticing that their fellow students need to be represented and address the issue of inadequate and poor quality food.

Social Media:

Other factors which arose during FGDs groups include the social/mass media. As learners get information of what has happened elsewhere, they are challenged to follow suit to make ‘heroes’ of their own. The learners learn of how their age mates in other schools are hitting the news headline for committing crimes such as burning the dormitory. They do not want to be left behind. One student argued that.We wanted the nation to know that we are also strong. Our competitors burnt their dormitories and we could not afford to be left behind. We had to burn ours so that the neighboring girls’ school will also believe we are not cowards too(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018).

A Principal Added That:

Sometimes the students misbehave because of the influence of the social media. They want their school to be in the news and in the books of history that they also burned their school. It may look ridiculous but learners are inventing adolescents too(Respondent, Kericho County, 2018).In today’s society, students have access to phones, making them available to all social networks. Nyongesa (2019) agrees that social media impacts greatly on how students behave when faced with a situation at school. The author also adds that the access that students have towards social media networks rarely is monitored. So students share violent behaviors and neither parents, nor are teachers aware of what their children are up to. With accessibility to internet, students can share how they feel about their school, administration, and quality of life with other students. However, this has both positive and negative impacts on student reaction to a situation. Students, especially in secondary schools that are well equipped, have access to information from media such as television and computers where they get to know what is happening in other schools, according to research by the National Crime Research (2017). Social media as diagnosed by Nyongesa (2019) promotes student unrests in secondary schools because they feel compelled to create unrest to support their friends. Access to information on what is going on in the education sector has spark interest in students in recent years, with some secondary schools in Kenya showing disagreements through riots. Institutions and parents are charged with the responsibility of monitoring the kind of content students are exposed to.

Societal Disturbances And Political Agitations:

The results of the study indicated that societal disturbances and unrest, tensions in the community, or political agitations may cause unrest. According to the county director of education, during political seasons, learners tend to be destabilized from the learning atmosphere and want to be swayed by the environment. The interviewed board members argued that there was a lot of tension in the schools during the electioneering period. The environment dictated that, and the students were not left behind. Student unrest in secondary schools is aggravated by a myriad of external factors. Cooper (2014) observes that students experience immense pressure from society to live according to its standards. The author illustrates how the students at Kianguli High school thought they could beat the school system in place as they felt pressure to outperform their capabilities. The community also places high expectations on the students, especially if they went to high-performing secondary schools, which builds pressure in students and makes them react by creating chaos in school. Political unrest and agitations of the country, as well as the school as Cooper (2014) demonstrates largely contribute to student unrests. The administration should work to ensure students receive effective guidance and counseling sessions.

Summary And Conclusion :

The results of the study indicated thatsecondary schools in Kericho County, like many other parts of the county, have had several unrests in the recent past. The most serious indiscipline casethat has caused serious disruption of studies was burning of dormitories. Other cases included theft, boycotting classes, bullying and drug taking. The results indicate that most schools have not experienced unrest in the recent past. However, those schools that have experienced unrests have and serious negative impacts. Misbehaving in school is mostly caused by peer influence and policies that the students are uncomfortable with. Lack of proper means of mitigating conflicts and channeling grievances to the administration proved to be a key factor in controlling the unrests. The presence of the student council that is selected by the principal, or elected by the students while the administration has the final say is not acceptable in the minds of the students, though the principals, teachers and the board members prefer it. In fact, this type of student council blocks the measures put in place by the government to ensure that there is a formal link between the students and the administration.The study concluded that most serious indiscipline cases that cause unrest, chaos and strike in Kericho County arise from policies that the students do not like. The students resist the policies as they directly affect them, yet, they are not consulted when putting them in place. The administration uses the student council to enforce the policies, rules and regulations. The force fails and there is unrest in schools.

Recommendations:

The study recommends that it is important for the government to ensure thorough and enough participation of all stakeholders in the education sector, including students, to avoid unrest in schools. The results of the study indicate that cases of unrest have continued to increase even with the presence of the student council. Further, the unrest manifest in extreme and undesirable ways. Thus, this study urges the government to enhance participation of all stakeholders, and more so focus on the participation of the students who are key stakeholders, just like the participative leadership theory that guided the study indicated.

References

• Abwere, U. (2009). How to Establish an Effective Student councils System in your School.Nairobi, Kenya Educational and Technical Publishing Service.
• Cheloti, S. K, Obae, R. N. &Kanori, E. N. (2014).Principals’ Management Styles and Students’ Unrest in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya.Journal of Education and Practice, 5(29): 1-10. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1009.1924&rep=rep1&type=pdf
• Cooper, E. (2014). Students, Arson, and Protest Politics in Kenya: School Fires as Political Action. African Affairs, 133(453): 583-600. https://www.academia.edu/8797764/Students_Arson_and_Protest_Politics_in_Kenya_School_Fires_as_Political_Action
• Idu, I. P. &Olugbade, O.D. (2011). Indiscipline in secondary schools: A cry to all stakeholders in Education. International Association for teaching and learning: 729-735.
• Kisilu, G. J. (2013). Students’ unrest and indiscipline in Public secondary schools in Machakos County.Journal of Current Issues in Education, 7(2)78-83.
• Mackatiani, C., Imbova, N., Gkunga, D. K. &Imbovah, M. (2016). Development of Education in Kenya: Influence of the Political Factor Beyond 2015 Mdgs. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(11): 55-60. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305984695_Development_of_Educationin_Kenya_Influence_of_the_Political_Factor_Beyond_2015_Mdgs
• Mukiti, M. T. (2014). Role of Students Council in Secondary Schools Management in Mwingi Central District, Kitui County, Kenya.Research Project, 1-118. https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/12040/Role%20of%20students%20%20council%20in%20secondary%20.pdf?sequence=1
• Murage, L. M. (2014). Influence of Student Councils on Management of Discipline in Secondary Schools in Kirinyaga East District: Kenya. Thesis, 1-91. https://karuspace.karu.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/20.500.12092/1983/Lucy%20Muthoni.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
• Mwaniki, S. G (2018). Students' Indiscipline: A Reflection on the Causes of Misbehavior among Learners in Kenyan Secondary Schools. Global Journal of Advanced Research, 5(4): 171-177. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328289398_STUDENTS'_INDISCIPLINE_A_REFLECTION_ON_THE_CAUSES_OF_MISBEHAVIOR_AMONG_LEARNERS_IN_KENYAN_SECONDARY_SCHOOLS
• National Crime Research Centre.(2017). Research Issue Brief into Secondary Schools Arson Crisis Kenya. 1-64.http://crimeresearch.go.ke/wpcontent/uploads/2018/02/wwwroot_publications_NCRC-Research-Issue-Brief-into-Secondary-Schools-Arson-Crisis-in-Kenya-Report-1.pdf
• Ngwokabuenui, P. Y. (2015). Students’ Indiscipline: Types, Causes and Possible Solutions: The Case of Secondary Schools in Cameroon. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(22): 1-10. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1079558.pdf
• Nyaga, B. N. (2018). The Influence of Students’ Council Leadership Training on Discipline Management in Secondary Schools in Kirinyaga- East Sub- County Kenya.Thesis, 1-98. http://dspace.pacuniversity.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/1710/Beatrice%20Nduta%20Nyaga.pdf?sequence=1
• Nyaga, M. (2019).Teachers’ Selected Factors on Truancy among Adolescents in Secondary Schools in Kenya. American Journal of Educational Research, 7(4):328-333. doi: 10.12691/education-7-4-5
• Nyogesa, S. C., Kiprop, C. &Chumba, S. (2019), Influence of Social Media on Students’ Discipline in Secondary Schools in Kenya. Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 7(9): 41-63. https://www.eajournals.org/wpcontent/uploads/Influence-of-Social-Media-on-Students%E2%80%99-Discipline-in-Secondary-Schools-in-Kenya.pdf
• Samuel, M. I &Changwony, D. (2019), Effect of Parenting Styles on Student’s Behavioral Public Secondary Schools In Nairobi County-Kenya. IRA International Journal of Education and Multidisciplinay Studies, 15(1): 24-31. https://www.researchgate.net/deref/http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.21013%2Fjems.v15.n1.p3
• Unicef.(2011).Student Leadership Programmer: How Far are We? Reflections from student leaders on the implementation of student councils in secondary schools inKenya