The government on Tuesday, July 18 ordered all day schools in Nairobi and Mombasa counties to be shut down ahead of this week’s anti-government protests called for by the Azimio coalition.
In a joint statement, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu and his Interior counterpart Kithure Kindiki announced the decision has been informed by intelligence reports indicating criminal elements intended to unleash terror around certain schools within the two cities.
“As a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of school children, it has been decided that ALL day Primary and Secondary schools within Nairobi and Mombasa cities SHALL remain closed tomorrow,” read part of the statement.
The Ministry of Education is expected to announce the resumption of learning in the schools upon assessment of the security situation in the course of tomorrow.
It is still not clear whether the opposition will be on the streets for all the three days, and the action that the State plans to address the disruption that could have far-reaching consequences.
The directive does not affect schools in other regions, including some that have witnessed violent protests like Kisumu and Kisii.
The last round of protests saw learners stranded as police engaged demonstrators in running battles.
In Kangemi and Nakuru, security forces lobbed teargas in schools, affecting learners who were in classes. In Kangemi, some pupils were hospitalised following the incident.
The government has condemned the acts of disrupting learning activities by subjecting the students to unnecessary chaos as police and protesters engaged in running battles in major cities across the country.
On January 14, Machogu called for more security personnel to be deployed in the learning institutions to avoid such cases from reoccurring.
