Government seeks new safety measures to curb school unrest

Fewer than 200 boarding schools across the country have been  affected by the ongoing wave of student unrest, the government has said, even as it moves to tighten safety and discipline measures in learning institutions.

This emerged on Tuesday during a meeting at Harambee House between the Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and the Ministry of Education, led by Julius Ogamba, where officials were directed to develop interventions aimed at improving service delivery and strengthening security in schools.

On his part, Kindiki condemned the rising cases of indiscipline in schools, warning that the government will not tolerate acts of criminality that disrupt learning or endanger lives.

“The government condemns in the strongest terms possible acts of indiscipline, especially to the level that has led some of the students to plan arson that has destroyed property and caused loss of lives,” he said.

He, however, noted that most senior boarding schools remain stable, stating that only about 200 of the country’s 3,200 boarding schools have reported unrest, out of a total of 9,500 schools nationwide.

The government meeting was informed that several incidents of unrest had destroyed property and caused loss of life, prompting urgent action to review safety systems in schools.

Officials said the Ministry of Education will now be required to develop structured stakeholder engagement mechanisms and proposals to improve service delivery and enhance safety within school communities. 

The ministry will also provide a comprehensive status report on school security and outline short-, medium- and long-term mitigation measures.

The move comes amid a spate of unrest in recent weeks, just a month into the school term and ahead of the mid-term break. 

One of the most serious incidents occurred at Utumishi Girls Academy, where 16 students died following a tragic event that led to the closure of the institution.

The closure added to a growing list of affected schools. Last week, Alliance High School in Kiambu was shut indefinitely after a fire destroyed about 200 mattresses in a dormitory store. Police have detained ten students to assist with investigations. The school’s principal, David Chomba, reported the incident at around 3am.

Other institutions closed during the term include Loreto High School, Limuru, Lenana School, Naivasha Girls High School, St Joseph’s Seminary Senior School in Molo, and Tarakwa High School.

The meeting was also attended by senior education officials, including Julius Bitok, Beatrice Inyangala, and Esther Muoria, alongside other ministry officials.