By Anderson Ojwang
The government has directed the closure of all 348 boarding sections of primary schools that have failed to comply with safety measures.
In a circular issued by the Permanent Secretary, State Department of Basic Education, Dr Bellio Kipsang instructed regional, county, and sub-county directors of education to close institutions found to have contravened the safety measures.
“An assessment exercise to determine the level of compliance with safety standards in all boarding primary schools in the country was conducted in September and October 2024.
The assessment established that some institutions had grossly contravened the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya (2008).
Furthermore, these institutions failed to adhere to the standards prescribed in the Registration Guidelines for Basic Education Institutions (2021).
A total of 348 institutions assessed were consequently not approved to host boarding learners.
The purpose of this circular is, therefore, to direct you to close the boarding sections of schools within your jurisdiction that have not been approved, as per the attached list.
Reopening of the boarding sections should be strictly subject to a pre-registration process.
You are required to ensure that affected parents are informed in good time to make alternative arrangements for their children,” read the circular from the PS, dated 27 November 2024.
In the Central region, Kiambu County recorded the highest number of affected schools, with 13, followed by Murang’a with five, Nyandarua with three, and Kirinyaga with two.
In the Eastern region, Kitui led with 24 affected schools, followed by Tharaka Nithi with 19, Machakos with 16, Meru with 11, Makueni with 10, and Embu with seven.
In the Coast region, Kwale had seven affected schools, Tana River had five, while Mombasa and Taita Taveta each had two, and Kilifi recorded one.
In the Nairobi region, 48 schools were closed.
In the North Eastern region, 11 schools were affected in Garissa.
In the Nyanza region, Kisii County had 18 schools closed, Kisumu had eight, and Migori had five.
In the Western region, Bungoma County had eight cases, Busia had five, and Kakamega had three schools affected.
In the Rift Valley region, Kericho County led with 27 affected schools, followed by Uasin Gishu with 20, and Nandi and Narok, each with 11. Nakuru recorded six cases. Other affected counties in the region included Bomet (8), Elgeyo-Marakwet (7), Trans Nzoia (7), Narok (3), Kajiado (3), Laikipia (3), and Baringo (1).
Last September, 18 boys tragically lost their lives, and 27 others were injured after a fire razed a dormitory at Hillside Endarasha in Nyeri County, Central region.
