President Magufuli defends Mbeya RC for flogging and suspension of 392 students

Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli commended Mbeya Regional Commissioner Mr Albert Chalamila for suspending 392 students after two dormitories at Kiwanja Secondary School were gutted down by fire.

President Magufuli, who was speaking in Songwe on Friday October 4, said his administration will not tolerate people who break the country’s laws.

He also revealed that the school board has since been dissolved due to negligence after failing to take action.

He added that activists, who are against the RC’s decision to whip in public and suspend the students to help the government to reconstruct the buildings rather than complaining.

“I spoke to the Mbeya Regional Commissioner (Mr Albert Chalamila) and I commended him for whipping the students because their behavior is intolerable,” said the president, who revealed that he was indeed impressed by the RC’s work.

He added: Whenever you do something good in the community you attract enemies but you (the RC) should keep doing what you are doing for the good of the community.

The President maintained the stand that in order for the students to return to the school their parents must foot the bill for reconstruction of the dormitories.

“We all went to school and we were canned by teachers whenever we made mistakes, so who are they (the Kiwanja secondary school students)…I wonder why the RC’s act is termed as violation of human right,” he said.  

Mr Chalamila, today, suspended all Form Five and six students including 14 students accused of torching down two dormitories at Kiwanja Secondary School in Chunya.

He also directed the students to pay Sh200, 000 upon their return to the school on October 18, 2019.

The students allegedly torched down the dormitories after their mobile phones were confiscated by the school administration.

In a video clip circulated on social media the RC directed the 14 students, who are accused of being master minds of the incident to pay Sh500, 000 each as a fine for their acts.

He directed the school administration not to allow transfer of any student from the school.

In August, Mr Chalamila vowed to cane in public residents found to have sabotaged development projects in the region.

He made the statement, when he was handing over customary title deeds to more than 800 Hatwelo villagers in Mbeya District under the Land Tenure Assistance programme sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).