A woman in Shinyalu, Kakamega County has been arrested by police for locking up her five children and keeping them from attending school.
The woman, Benedictor Khayesi, kept the children in the house and involved them in continuous prayers.
She justified denying them the right to go to school by arguing that Jesus attained power and respect without an education.
“Jesus never went to school, but He is revered nonetheless,” she said.
Benedictor Khayesi was arrested on Friday, 29 November 2020, with her children aged 17, 15, 13, 6 and 4 also held by the police.
The woman will be arraigned in court and charged with denying her children the right to education.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang directed regional, county and sub-county directors of education to use security officials to locate children and take them to school.
Chiefs, village elders and members of Nyumba Kumi executed the directive and started a door-to-door hunt for students who were yet to report back to school.
Girls who got pregnant are also expected to be accounted for and report to school.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Education, George Magoha stated that the government had released more funds to support schools, especially public schools, in the supply of free food and sanitary towels, and warned that parents risked being arrested for failing to take their children to school.
