St. Kizito
| St. Kizito | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Established | 1968 |
| Closed | 1991 |
| Headmaster | James Laiboni |
| Age | 14 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 577 |
St. Kizito was a coeducational boarding secondary school[1] in Kenya in Akithii Location, Meru County. It was named for Saint Kizito.
History
The school was established as an all-boys school in 1968 and began admitting girls in 1975.[2]
By 1991 the school had 577 students between the ages of 14 and 18 – 306 boys and 271 girls.[2][3]
Mass rapes and murders
Events
On 13 July 1991, 71 girls were raped and 19 killed[1] at St. Kizito school. After supposedly declining to participate in a strike organized by the boys at the school, the girls' dormitory was invaded by male students and the chaos began.
Response
Initial reports included a statement from the deputy principal, Joyce Kithira, who said "The boys never meant any harm against the girls. They just wanted to rape."[2][4] Kithira was dismissed from her position for her "failure to maintain discipline" at the school but was almost immediately reinstated.[3] School principal James Laiboni commented that rape was a common occurrence at the school.[2] The view was echoed by Francis Machira Apollos, a local probation officer.[2]
The school was closed immediately after the massacre as international outrage erupted on the treatment of women in Kenya and other African nations.[2] 39 boys were arrested in connection with the incident.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b Staff (15 July 1991). "Boys at Kenya School Rape Girls, Killing 19" Archived June 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Reuters (via The New York Times). Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Perlez, Jane (1991-07-29). "Kenyans Do Some Soul-Searching After the Rape of 71 Schoolgirls (Published 1991)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ^ a b Hirsch, Susan F. (1994). "Interpreting Media Representations of a "Night of Madness": Law and Culture in the Construction of Rape Identities". Law & Social Inquiry. 19 (4): 1023–1056. ISSN 0897-6546.
- ^ Youé, Chris (1997). "Review of Gender Violence and the Press: The St. Kizito Story". Canadian Journal of African Studies. 31 (3): 584–586. doi:10.2307/486204. ISSN 0008-3968.
- Kariuki, Caroline, W. "Masculinity and Adolescent Male Violence: The Case of Three Secondary Schools in Kenya".[full citation needed]
- Ngesa, Mildred (13 Jul 2005). "Kenya: 14 Years Later, Boys At the Heart of the St Kizito Tragedy Speak Out". Daily Nation. Retrieved 7 Mar 2018.[dead link] Alt URL
- 1991 disestablishments in Africa
- 20th-century disestablishments in Kenya
- Boarding schools in Kenya
- Co-educational boarding schools
- Defunct secondary schools
- Defunct schools in Kenya
- Education in Eastern Province (Kenya)
- Educational institutions disestablished in 1991
- Mass murder in 1991
- Massacres of women
- Meru County
- Murder in Kenya
- Rape in Africa
- School massacres
- High schools and secondary schools in Kenya
- 1968 establishments in Kenya
- Educational institutions established in 1968
- 1991 murders in Kenya
- Violence against women in Kenya
- Massacres in Kenya