Mt St Henry’s High School Mukono has indefinitely suspended more than 10 Senior Four students over alleged misconduct during the school holidays, a decision that has sparked protests from parents demanding the students be given a fair hearing before any disciplinary action is finalised.
According to suspension letters dated 3rd August 2026, the students are accused of engaging in behaviour the school says seriously misrepresented its image and values, including allegations of drug abuse, sharing pornographic videos, and organising house parties. The school said its investigations established that the conduct amounted to gross misconduct.
The school maintains that although the students have been suspended indefinitely, they will still be permitted to sit their Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) examinations, but only from home rather than reporting to school during the exam period. The suspension letters reportedly directed that learners report to the examination centre shortly before the start of each paper, accompanied by a security officer, and clear any outstanding school fees for the third term before sitting their papers, with the letters citing fees of Shs 1.29 million per suspended student.
The suspensions triggered protests from a section of parents, who stormed the school on a Friday demanding the disciplinary decision be reconsidered. Parents said the school had not given them or their children a fair hearing before issuing the suspensions.
According to parents, the alleged misconduct occurred during the holidays, off school premises, and while the students were under their parents’ care rather than the school’s, arguing that such matters ought to have been handled by parents directly. One parent said they wished the administration had contacted them before making a decision, rather than only informing them of the outcome afterward.
Some parents also raised concerns that students who did not participate in the alleged house parties were suspended simply for being associated with, or friends of, those accused, which they described as unfair.
Parents further accused the school administration of humiliating the affected students by having them line up before the school assembly, alleging they were referred to using a derogatory term, and said such treatment had no place in how the matter should have been handled. They also criticised the school’s directive requiring security escorts for the suspended students during examinations, describing it as excessive and potentially harmful to the students’ wellbeing at a time when they are preparing for their UNEB exams.
Parents reportedly remained outside the school gate from about 11:00am to 2:30pm before being allowed in to present their grievances. However, parents said the administration opted to meet them individually rather than as a group, despite the fact that they had come together with shared concerns for the protest, and that they were made to wait until they had cleared their children’s fees before the disciplinary matter was communicated to them.
