Kenya has postponed the reopening of schools for the second term session by one week due to flooding that has killed over 70 citizens.

The resumption, which was supposed to commence today (Monday), has been delayed till May 6.

This was contained in a statement by the EGH Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr Ezekiel Machogu, on Monday.

Machogu said, “In the face of the ongoing heavy rains, the Ministry of Education last week directed its field officers to submit data from all Basic Education Learning Institutions countrywide to assist the Government in assessing the readiness of the schools for the Second Term opening on Monday, April 29, 2024.

“Reports received at the Ministry of Education, corroborated with data from other relevant Government agencies showed that a number of schools in various regions of the country have been adversely affected by the rains. The devastating effects of the rains in some of the schools are so severe that it will be imprudent to risk the lives of learners and staff before water-tight measures are put in place to ensure adequate safety of all affected school communities.

“Based on this assessment, the Ministry of Education has resolved to postpone the reopening of all primary and secondary schools by one week, to Monday, May 6, 2024.”

The ministry, however, assured that measures to mitigate the adverse effects of the rains would be put in place.

“In the meantime, the Ministry will work with relevant agencies and stakeholders to put in place measures to mitigate the adverse effects of the rains and provide regular updates on all developments as pertain to the education sector,” Machogu assured.

Kenya has experienced an unusually heavy rainy season since March, reportedly resulting in the deaths of 76 individuals.

This, according to reports, was exacerbated by the El Nino weather pattern.

The torrential rain caused flash floods, submerging roads and neighbourhoods, forcing over 130,000 people from 24,000 households to seek displacement.

On Saturday, the government released figures indicating that many affected people are in the capital city of Nairobi.

Also, nearly one-third of all public schools in Nairobi have been significantly impacted by the flooding, according to Belio Kipsang, the principal secretary for education.

The schools were originally scheduled to reopen on Monday after the mid-term holidays but have been postponed by the education ministry due to the extensive damage caused by the heavy monsoon rains to numerous educational facilities across the country.

The Ekiti government says 203 public schools in the state will benefit from the World Bank‘s $25 million school improvement grant (SIG).

NAN reports that Taiwo Olatunbosun, the state commissioner for information, spoke of the grant on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti.

He said the fund is being utilised to construct new buildings, renovate old ones, and erect perimeter fencing.

Olatunbosun said part of the fund is also used to purchase equipment for the benefit of all students in the schools, including People Living With Disabilities (PLWDs).

“There is the Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills Project, which is also back by the World Bank to enhance the capacity of the skills development system in order to produce relevant skills for the formal and informal sectors without leaving out PLWDs,” he said.

“In fact, there is no public school in the state that has not been substantially touched by government’s developmental efforts without bias to the enrollment of PLWDs.”

Olatunbosun said out of the fund, N546.9 million was used to pay for the senior school certificate examination (SSCE) for 16,269 students.

“Government also paid N546.9million WAEC/SSCE fees for 16,269 SS3 students in public schools for this year making all SS3 students in public schools beneficiaries, including people living with disabilities,” he added.

The commissioner also appealed to residents to support the efforts of the state government in making life more meaningful for all the PLWDs.

Murjanatu Zubairu, a young female student at the University of Abuja, has gone missing during her commute to school.

Her uncle, Alhaji Zubairu Jibrin Yewuti, a former vice chairman of the Kwali Area Council in the FCT, reported her disappearance over the phone on Sunday morning.

Murja, as she is known, is in her fourth year at the university, studying Arts Education within the Faculty of Education.

He stated that Murjanatu, who lived with her parents in Piwoyi, departed for school on Friday morning but hasn’t been reachable since then because her phone has been turned off.

As quoted by Daily Trust, he said, “It was her parents who called me to find out if Murjanatu came to my place, as efforts to reach her on the phone remained futile since she left home at Piwoyi on her way to school. I told them she didn’t come to my house. I also tried to reach her phone too but it was switched off.”

Zubairu, on the other hand, stated that the family had notified both the university administration and law enforcement about the student who had disappeared.

He urged the public to help by notifying the university or the nearest police station if they encounter her.

Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command is yet to release an official statement to confirm the incident.

The spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, SP Adeh Josephine, in a reply to a text message sent to her phone, said, “I will find and then get back to you later.”