After flooding, 497,783 learners did not return to class: report
Residents of Mathare pictured next to a building built on riparian land in Mathare, along Nairobi River on May 7, 2024
Three weeks after schools reopened in Kenya, 497,783 learners have yet to resume classes as they remain at home or in temporary shelters following heavy rains and flooding across the country.
Joint assessments by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Save the Children and Unicef show that more than 3,781 classrooms and 18,615 toilets in schools are flooded and unsuitable for use by learners. The rains have delayed the reopening of schools by two weeks.
Some 242 adults and 73 children are reported to have died as a result of the floods and landslides.
“Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera in children are on the rise. Ministry of Health reports have indicated that 49 per cent of the reported cholera cases have been children between one and 10 years. This is after sewer lines in parts of the country burst leading to faecal matter finding its way into classrooms, playgrounds, and homes,” Save the Children said in a statement.
“The impacts of these floods, are disastrous for children and threaten their rights. It’s another all-too-frequent example of how the climate crisis disproportionately affects those who have done least to cause it and are least able to withstand its most damaging effects: children,” Inger Ashing, the CEO of Save the Children International in Nairobi on Friday.
Lower figure
However, government spokesman Isaac Mwaura gave a lower figure. He said 306,522 people from 61,304 households were still affected by the floods. He added that 293,205 people from 58,641 households had been displaced. Many of these are believed to be children.
“The cost of inaction of climate-induced shocks is far too great. We call on the government to allow for the unconditional enrolment of displaced children to nearby accessible schools. Further, we are urging urgent public health measures to reduce risks of waterborne diseases in schools whose sanitation facilities are damaged. All children have a right to a quality, safe, and inclusive education,” said Mohamed Abdiladif, interim country director of Save the Children.
The Ministry of Education announced this week that the half term had been postponed by a week, but did not say whether the school year would be extended to make up for the lost time.
Earlier, the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Dr Belio Kipsang, said the decision to stick to the dates was taken after consultations with the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (Kepsha) and the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kepsha).
