Nairobi — The Ministry of Education has ordered the closure of boarding sections in 340 public and private primary schools for failing to meet safety standards.
In a statement on Monday, Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang said the schools also failed to adhere to the standards prescribed in the Registration Guidelines for Basic Education Institutions (2021) and, therefore, did not meet the threshold to host boarding learners.
Kipsang added that a compliance assessment conducted in September and October revealed that some institutions grossly contravened the provisions of the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya (2008).
"The purpose of this circular, therefore, is to direct you to close down the boarding sections of all schools within your jurisdiction that [were] not approved as per the attached list," he said.
Kipsang issued the directive to Regional Directors of Education, County Directors of Education, and Sub-County Directors of Education, instructing them to ensure that the schools listed in their jurisdictions do not reopen their boarding sections for the 2025 academic year.
Visa Oshwal
Nairobi leads with forty-nine primary schools set to close their boarding sections, including Visa Oshwal, Thika Road Primary, Jonathan Gloag, Don Bosco Primary School, St. Anna's Preparatory School, and Happy Land Academy.
Other counties affected include Kisii with thirteen schools, Kiambu with thirteen, Kericho with twenty-six, Nandi with fifteen, and Uasin Gishu with nineteen.
However, schools seeking to reopen their boarding sections can reapply for accreditation upon reassessment.
The directive follows a tragic fire incident at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County in September, where twenty-one boys died after a midnight fire broke out in the school dormitory.
Several others sustained injuries, and properties of unknown value destroyed.
On September 11, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba ordered a mandatory assessment of all schools across the country.
The assessment, conducted on an impromptu basis, involved officials from the Ministries of Education, Interior, and Health.
It was not immediately clear whether the affacted institutions had notified parents of impending changes when schools reopen for to reopen for the first term on January 6, 2025.
