112 schools yet to reopen due to poor facilities

More than 100 schools that had been closed in the Central region are yet to reopen after failing to meet safety standards.

Of the 117 schools, only five in Murang’a County have complied with the recommendations of the Ministry of Education on safety.

Yesterday, Central Education Director Margaret Lesuuda said out of the five counties in her region, Kiambu was the most affected with 55 schools still closed over non-compliance on safety.

Others affected include Murang’a where 26 schools were closed, Kirinyaga (15), Nyeri and Nyandarua counties had eight each.

Ms Lesuuda said Kiambu had the highest number of schools with substandard infrastructure due to the mushrooming of private institutions.

“A constituency like Ruiru has more private schools than public ones,” she said.

The pupils who had been affected by the crackdown, she said, had been moved to neighbouring public schools, while some parents had opted to transfer others to private schools.

“It is so unfortunate that people are doing business at the expense of children’s safety and development. Some schools that we closed were operating from homes with poor structures and sanitation facilities,” said Lesuuda.

She cited a school in Tetu where the proprietor had converted a two-bedroom house into a school accommodating pupils from nursery up to Grade Four.

Lesuuda also criticised parents who enroll their children in such schools, terming them as “careless and unconcerned”.

“Parents should not fall into trap of lower fees or cheap scholarships,” she added.

Lesuuda cited the ongoing admission for form one students as crucial, urging parents to first inspect schools’ basic infrastructure.

“Parents have the power to ensure their children are in a safe environment. They should insist on inspecting various facilities like dormitories, kitchen, and classrooms before admitting them,” she said.