Concern as Siaya school bars Grade 10 student from wearing hijab

St. Mary’s Lwak Girls High School is accused of barring Samira Ramadhan, a Grade 10 student, from donning the hijab despite assurances given at the time of her admission that she would be allowed to wear her religious outfit.

According to Samira and her parents, the position taken by the school changed barely a month after she reported, denying her the freedom she had been promised. The incident has sparked a fresh debate on religious rights and education.

Fifteen-year-old Samira Ramadhan reported to St. Mary’s Lwak Girls High School with pride and optimism, hopeful as she embarked on a new chapter of her academic journey. But that optimism, she says, was short-lived.

"I was a proud student," stated Samira Ramadhan.

Barely weeks into the term, Samira alleges that school management instructed her to stop wearing her hijab, a directive that directly contradicted assurances given at the time of her admission that she would be free to don the religious cloth.

"Two to three days, Sister Melanie called me and said I remove the hijab. I have been harassed since then. The school father called me last Monday and said that this is a Catholic school, hijabs are not allowed," stated Samira.

"Amekuwa na challenge kwa sababu yeye ni Muslim, amekuwa mwenye kutengwa sana," stated the parent, Nasib Ali Ramadhan.

"These girls are not allowed to put on hijab. They are not allowed to practice their religion. These girls are forced to participate in religious activities that are not of their choice," stated Ibrahim Otieno, Chair, Siaya Muslims Association.

Her parent says repeated attempts to seek clarification from the school’s administration over the decision to bar his daughter from wearing the hijab were met with silence.

"Nilikuwa nimemalizana na school fees ya hii term nimeamua kutoka na mtoto wangu nimpeleke kwenye wanakubali waislamu," stated Nasib Ali Ramadhan, parent.

Efforts to seek clarity from the school’s management proved futile. The County Director of Education, whom the media was referred to by PS Basic Education Julius Bitok, failed to return calls or respond to messages, leaving the concern unaddressed.

Samira’s experience is not an isolated case. There have been widespread reports of Muslim students facing discrimination in non-Muslim schools, particularly through restrictions on wearing the hijab.

The incident has reignited debate on the delicate balance between religion and education, more so at a time when parents and learners have limited or no options to transfer schools under the government’s learner placement system for senior secondary education.

The Supreme Court of Kenya set precedent in its 2019 ruling when it overturned a 2016 Court of Appeal decision that had allowed Muslim students to wear the hijab in non-Muslim schools, ruling that every school has a right to determine its own dress code.

However, questions about religious accommodation in schools persist, especially when students are placed by the government in institutions with strict religious traditions despite clearly indicating their faith during application.