Ogamba: Ministry to restructure school calendar amid wave of unrest

Education CS Julius Ogamba. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

 Education Ministry will restructure the school calendar from next year to address learner fatigue blamed for fuelling unrest in 204 boarding schools, Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said.  

Speaking during a press conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, June 10, Ogamba said the ministry will "rationalise the school calendar to ensure balanced terms across the school year" starting next academic year.

The announcement came as the ministry confirmed 16 pupils died in a fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, on the night of May 28.

Investigators established the blaze, which broke out at the school's Meline Waithera Dormitory, was an act of arson. Nine suspects have been arraigned and remanded in custody.

"There can never be justification for causing death and destroying property," said Ogamba.

"Any grievances must only be addressed through appropriate channels without resorting to unlawful actions or violence," he added.

The ministry attributed the unrest to a range of factors, including leadership challenges in schools, examination stress, poor boarding conditions, drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure and copycat behaviour.

Since the start of 2026, the Kenya Red Cross has responded to 37 school fire incidents, and the wave has not spared even celebrated institutions, with Alliance High School closed indefinitely after a fire on June 4.

The unrest, which the ministry said affects less than 2 per cent of senior schools nationwide, has been concentrated in boarding institutions.

 Of the 204 schools that reported incidents, 59 have since resumed normal learning.

A 2024 assessment by Kenya's Ministry of Education found that many schools failed to comply with fire-safety standards, citing dormitories with barred windows, single exits, inward-opening doors and overcrowding.

Following the assessment, the ministry ordered closure of 348 schools.

The single deadliest school fire in Kenyan history occurred in March 2001 at Kyanguli Secondary School in Machakos County, where 67 boys perished after fellow students deliberately set a dormitory alight. No one was ever punished after a court declared a mistrial.

Ogamba also announced the formation of a multi-stakeholder team to investigate the root causes of the unrest and recommend long-term solutions, and directed schools to convene Parents Association meetings and to urgently strengthen counselling programmes.

The second-term mid-term break will proceed as scheduled from June 24 to June 28, 2026, Ogamba confirmed, rejecting pressure to send learners home early.

Grades 1 to 9 learners have not been affected, with basic education continuing without disruption, the ministry said.