Several schools closed down as a wave of unrest unsettles country

Learning has been disrupted in several secondary schools across the country following a fresh wave of student unrest and school fires.

Boards of management and education officials have been forced to hastily close several schools indefinitely, leaving parents to shoulder the heavy financial penalties as uncertainty deepens.

What should have been a normal second school term has instead turned into a crisis marked by fear, unrest and disrupted learning, with several schools remaining closed.

In the Rift Valley, major institutions, including Tambach Boys, St Patrick’s School-Iten, Nakuru Girls Senior School, Moi Forces-Lanet, St Joseph’s Seminary-Molo, Naivasha Girls and Utumishi Girls Senior School, have been closed indefinitely following violent protests, destruction of property and resistance to scheduled examinations.

The unprecedented wave of secondary school disruptions follows the tragic fire at Utumishi Girls School in Gilgil on May 28, where a midnight dormitory blaze claimed 16 lives and left more than 70 students injured.

The incident has triggered a ripple effect of anxiety and copycat scares, pushing school administrators and security teams to opt for swift closures at the slightest sign of unrest.

On Sunday, St Joseph’s Seminary Senior School in Molo suspended learning and sent students home after a Saturday night fire gutted the dormitory. Casualties were narrowly avoided as students were gathered in the main hall for entertainment when the blaze broke out.

At Moi Forces Academy in Lanet, rising tension and fire scares prompted management to release students early to prevent possible escalation.

Similar precautionary closures and volatile security concerns also led to students being sent home at Coulson Boys High School and Koelel Forces Academy, where learning was suspended.

The anxiety has not been confined to boys’ boarding schools. Girls’ institutions, including Nakuru Girls Senior School, also sent students home following intelligence reports of planned disruptions, while Naivasha Girls Secondary School followed suit after an evening scare disrupted normal operations.

Naivasha Girls was among the institutions closed after two nights of unrest and a suspected arson threat targeting a dormitory. According to Naivasha Deputy County Commissioner Josiah Odongo, more than 1,000 students were sent home amid growing anxiety. He said school management alerted security officers to a possible arson attempt.

“After consultations, it was decided to send the students home as a precaution following the Gilgil tragedy,” he said.

The Rift Valley regional education office, led by Director of Education James Indimuli, confirmed that several institutions across the county were forced into indefinite closure within days to safeguard learners and protect property.

In the North Rift, security agencies have identified Tambach Boys and St Patrick’s High School–Iten in Keiyo North as potential hotspots. Tambach Boys had been closed two weeks earlier after students went on the rampage and damaged school property.

Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner David Kosgei said the ongoing school unrest poses a serious security threat, with two institutions now under close surveillance by police.

He said Tambach Boys High School was closed after students, backed by some parents, allegedly demanded that the principal support a scheme to cheat in the upcoming Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

“In Tambach Boys High School, students have refused to learn. Those suspected of inciting them are their parents. Shockingly, the parents want the principal to aid a plot to cheat in the upcoming KCSE examinations,” said Kosgei.

In Narok County, Eor Ekuke Mixed Secondary School was closed indefinitely on Thursday after a dormitory was destroyed by fire on Wednesday, in an incident authorities said could have turned tragic had students been inside.

Narok East Sub-County police commander Edwin Ogware and education officials said the fire broke out at around 8:57 pm in the Loita Boys dormitory, which houses about 120 Grade 10 students. Fortunately, the learners were in evening preps and had not yet returned to the dormitory when the blaze started.

In Nyanza and Western regions, students of Maranda High School have yet to resume learning after the institution was closed following a dormitory fire.

Principal Edwin Namachanja said the decision was reached in consultation with the Director of Education’s office to safeguard lives and protect school property.

Similarly, in Kakamega, Ibinzo Girls High School in Lurambi Sub- County was closed indefinitely on Sunday after students staged a strike that disrupted learning and prompted school management to send learners home.

The closure came barely ten days after Ingotse Boys High School in Navakholo Sub- County was closed following a violent student rampage that destroyed school property.

The back-to-back closures have alarmed parents and education stakeholders, who fear the unrest could affect academic programmes as schools prepare candidates for national examinations.