Gachagua Gives Direction On Extension Of School Reopening Dates Amid Floods

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has announced that some schools could have their reopening dates extended in a process set to be done on a case-by-case basis.

Speaking during a press briefing on the ongoing floods in Karen on Friday, April 26, the DP revealed that the Ministry of Education would work with various county governments to analyse the situation on the ground before communicating to parents and students regarding the changes. 

He however maintained that those schools which have not been affected by the ongoing flooding as a result of the heavy rains will report back as scheduled by the government.

"What will happen is that make recommendations to the PS of Basic Education, on a case-by-case basis it will be analyzed on his own merit. Where there is a need to extend the opening day, we can extend it. 

"Otherwise for the purposes of the country, the schools will reopen as planned but where there are cases whereby the people on the ground, the county governments plus the national government administration and the directors of education in those respective counties, make a recommendation to the PS Basic Education. We can always extend as things settle down," he stated.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang in the meantime revealed that the Ministry of Education had begun to analyse the situation in Nairobi County, in particular, hinting that 64 schools in the capital could have their opening dates rescheduled owing to the destruction of classrooms and washrooms.

"In Nairobi County, we have 64 schools which are substantially affected in class and washrooms. In Nairobi, we decided to deal with them as local issues so that we don't need to ask all schools not to open but we can deal with them on isolated cases.

"This is because in Nairobi we have 210 public schools and 800 private schools. For the 64 we might delay their opening," he stated.

Schools are set to reopen on Monday, April 29 for the second term.

As part of the preparations, the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Elyas Abdi, issued a circular to regional directors of education instructing them to collect data on the impact of the rain and floods and submit it by today (Friday, April 26).

Concerns meanwhile persist about the impact of the heavy rains and flooding on transport infrastructure and road networks, raising questions regarding the feasibility of the resumption of school activities. 

The Kenya Meteorological Department has since warned of continued heavy rains in various parts of the country leading into this weekend.

Counties such as Nairobi, Kisumu, and Narok are among those expected to bear the brunt of the downpour, raising fears of further flooding and disruption to daily life.