A school in Teso is on the spot for allegedly expelling a girl whose religion prohibits women and girls from paring their hair.
The girl’s mama said her son was expelled on August 29 from St. Mark ACK Machakusi Secondary academy for refusing to shave her hair.
“ My daughter was forced out of academy and was told not to report back for studies unless she shaves her hair, ” the mama said.
“ She’s saved and the church we go to doesn’t allow women and girls to shave hair. When I took her back to academy, we were told that she must follow academy regulations by paring hair like other scholars, ” she added.
The girl is a Form One pupil at theschool.The academy star, Reuben Oliambo, still, denied claims that the girl had been expelled for failing to shave her hair.
He said when the issue was bandied by the academy’s Board of Management, the mama of the girl suggested that she’d take her son to another academy where scholars are allowed to have long hair.
The star said the mama told her son after the board meeting to remain at home as she awaited to be admitted to a different academy.
“ Traditionally, every academy has got a culture on discipline. For us in this academy, every pupil is supposed to have short hair for purposes of uniformity, ” Oliambo said.
“ In fact, it’s her mama who said that if the girl can not be accommodated in this academy, she’d look for another academy which we accepted, ” the star said.
He added that when the girl was joining the academy, she used to shave her hair.
“It only reached a point when she said she had joined a religion which prohibits women and girls from paring, ” he said.
The mama to the minor said her pleas to move the academy star that the issue has religious backing fell on deaf cognizance as the institution maintained that the girl would not be allowed for studies without paring.
“ I told the academy preceptors that the issue of my son’s hair is religious and I can not force her to shave, ” she said.
Pastor Vincent Emuria, the author of the church said the academy made a mistake by transferring the girl home despite Kenyan laws guaranteeing freedom of deification in learning institutions.
Pastor Vincent Emuria, the funder of church where the girl prays from.
“ Our appeal to the Ministry of Education is that it should come by and help the girl return to academy while clinging to her religious training, ” Emuria said.
“ We don’t want violation of religious rights to continue at academy, ” he added.
The girl said she loves studies just as she loves serving in the Christian world.“ I love studies and I want to study while esteeming my religion, ” she said.
“ I appeal to the government to intermediate and have my son return to academy. It’s illegal to expel notoriety because of her faith, ” her mama , who said she had paid full academy freights said.
On June 19, 2022, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked academy headliners to allow learners to exercise their religious beliefs without demarcation.
“ I want to reiterate, more so to our academy headliners who are still differencing the Akurinu because of their turbans, that isn’t right. There’s no law that bars anyone from relating themselves by their religion, ” Uhuru said.
He spoke at the periodic General Conference of the Akurinu church held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi.
