NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 24 – Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja on Friday appeared before the High Court in Nairobi over the contentious case surrounding the proposed privatisation of Gatoto Community Primary School in Mukuru kwa Njenga.
Kanja appeared alongside Deputy Inspector-General Eliud Lagat and Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa after they were summoned by Justice Gregory Mutai to explain the alleged failure to comply with court orders issued on June 25 regarding the management of the school.
The dispute stems from a court ruling directing the Ministry of Education to register Gatoto Primary School as a private, non-profit Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET) institution under its board of directors, effectively transferring it from public management.
Petitioners, represented by Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama and Senior Counsel Martha Karua, argue that State agencies have failed to enforce the orders despite clear court directives.
They also alleged that lawyers attempting to serve the orders encountered hostility and intimidation, including an incident in which Karua’s vehicle was reportedly stoned.
The respondents, however, maintain that Gatoto has operated as a public institution since its establishment in the 1990s and that transferring its management in the middle of the academic year would disrupt learning and interfere with the administration of national examinations.
State lawyers further argued that there is currently no legal framework permitting the transfer of a functioning public school to private or community management, adding that such a move would require changes to records maintained by the Ministry of Education and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
The ownership dispute has sparked protests from parents and residents of Mukuru kwa Njenga, who insist the school was established to serve children from the informal settlement using public resources, including NG-CDF funding.
They have vowed to challenge any attempt to place the institution under private management, arguing that the move would undermine access to education for vulnerable learners.
The High Court is expected to determine whether the State officials complied with its earlier directives and issue further orders on the implementation of the contested judgment.
