President William Ruto has announced the postponement of the reopening of all public schools until further notice, a sudden reversal of plans just hours after Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu insisted that schools would open on Monday, May 6.
In an address to the nation on Friday, May 3, President Ruto directed the Ministry of Education to delay the reopening of schools for the second term, citing ongoing severe weather conditions, particularly flooding, across the country.
"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," President Ruto stated.
This decision comes barely five hours after Education CS Machogu instructed schools to reopen with only those severely affected by floods remaining closed until the situation is brought under control.
Machogu insisted that the safety of learners was paramount and that alternative infrastructure must be established before these schools could resume operations.
"In the meantime, the management of these schools should come up with strategies to recover lost time when learning resumes," the Ministry of Education added in a statement.
Despite queries regarding students who had already returned to school on Sunday, April 28, before the official directive to suspend reopening was issued at 1 am on Monday, President Ruto asserted that the Ministry of Education has received clear directives on how to address this situation.
In his address, the head of state urged Members of Parliament to use the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) to repair damage to school infrastructure.
He stated, “MPs are requested to prioritize the reconstruction of school infrastructure damaged as a result of the floods ravaging the country.”
The decision to postpone school reopening comes amidst a grim reality of severe weather-related casualties.
According to the Interior Ministry, the death toll from the ongoing floods has risen to 210, with 22 fatalities reported in the past 24 hours alone. Additionally, over 165,000 individuals have been displaced from their homes, and 90 others are still missing.
At least 24 schools have been impacted by the floods as of the end of last week, highlighting the extent of the crisis and the challenges faced by the education sector.
President Ruto emphasized that the government will closely monitor the situation and provide further guidance to parents and students in the coming days.
