JAMILA’S MEMO: Police, pick on someone your own size and leave the children alone

Today, more than half the pupils at New Kihumbuini Primary School in Kangemi did not attend school. This is a day after 51 of them were rushed to hospital following teargassing of the school by police officers during Wednesday’s demonstrations. The students were in class when the teargas canisters reached them. Visibly angry parents and guardians rushed to the school to rescue their children.

Their anger is understandable. Their children left home in the morning for school, as usual, safe and well. But then hours later comes the news that this has happened. The anger and frustration on their part is totally justified.

This unfortunate incident is not the first in recent weeks; a month ago, 35 students of Ndurarua Primary School in Kawangware were rushed to hospital after police officers fired in the air and lobbed teargas canisters at vendors protesting the destruction of their make shift kiosks. Again, innocent learners who were in class were caught in the melee and had to be rushed to hospital.

These unfortunate incidents raise questions about how this could have happened twice! A school can be seen and identified from a mile away! Yes, police officers were running after protesters who took cover in a school na walihitaji kufurushwa, lakini hakuna njia nyingine ya kuwaondoa ila kwa kufyatua vitoa machozi shuleni?

We thank God, that the children are all doing Okay. But what if the consequences of the police action were much worse? Wangesema nini? At a time that the adults of a nation are not seeing eye to eye, turning to speaking at each other, should this extend to the young, the future of a nation? What wrong did the young of Kangemi do?

There is a conversation in the country as to how much force is reasonable for the police. And while the debate is ongoing, can we be mindful of what force is used where? What example are we setting for the children? What memories are we creating in their young minds? How do you even explain to them why the smoky irritating gas landed in their classrooms?

After the incident yesterday, a colleague was telling me how the incident shocked and scared his young son, who could not understand why this happened to children like him. I ask, what sort of generation are we raising if this is what we are subjecting our young children to?

I am also amazed that out of all the statements and condemnations that have been made about the events of Wednesday, none have said anything about the children in Kangemi. Sad, if you ask me.

We owe our children an apology, we owe them an explanation and we owe them an assurance that this will not happen again.