Abstract:
Student upheavals and activism is not a recent phenomenon in Kenya, but has
been a problem over
the years. Indeed the upheavals can be closely linked to adolescence. The nature of student upheavals in
secondary schools is multi
-
faceted as it involves indiscipline that is destructive of the individual student,
school property and t
he school community where such upheavals take place. The main objective of this study
was to construct a theoretical model that establishes a causal relationship between student militancy, social
-
cultural environment and personal growth. Data was collected
from 238 students, 16 secondary school head
teachers, educational experts and community stakeholders by use of questionnaires, focus group discussion
and interviews. The collected data was quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The findings revealed t
hat
student militancy is a social phenomenon common in many Kenyan secondary schools, although its nature
and magnitude varied across the geographical locations of the sampled schools. In the light of these findings,
it is recommended that the Ministry of
Education should review the situation existing in Kenyan schools with
a view to determining the social problems that make students’ lives more and more meaningless.
