President William Ruto has instructed the Ministry of Education to postpone the reopening of all schools until further notice, as announced during his national address on Friday.
“The Ministry of Education is directed to postpone the dates of reopening of all schools in the country for the second term until further notice,” stated the President.
This directive comes just days before the scheduled reopening date of May 6, originally slated for April 29 but delayed due to heavy rains as confirmed by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu earlier in the week.
Machogu cited reports of severe flooding affecting numerous schools, posing risks to the safety of students and staff if schools were to reopen under such conditions.
“The devastating effects of the rains in some of the schools are so severe that it will be imprudent to risk the lives of learners and staff before water-tight measures are put in place to ensure adequate safety of all affected school communities,” Machogu emphasized.
In a circular dated May 2, Machogu had outlined measures to be implemented ahead of the May 6 reopening, with severely affected schools to remain closed temporarily. Efforts to recover lost learning time and ensure safety upon resumption were also emphasized.
Furthermore, all school Boards of Management were instructed to submit status reports detailing damages and mitigation measures to County Education Boards by May 8, with comprehensive reports to be submitted to the Cabinet Secretary by May 10.
