NAIROBI |Kenyan President William Ruto has postponed next week’s planned reopening of schools until further notice, as heavy rains and floods that have killed more than 200 people continue.
The president in his state of the nation address on Friday said that “meteorological reports paint a dire picture,” citing the possibility of Cyclone Hidaya hitting coastal Kenya in coming days.
Kenya and other parts of East Africa have been overwhelmed by flooding, with more than 150,000 displaced people living in camps across the country.
Schools originally were to reopen this week, but the education ministry postponed that by a week. Students will now wait for the announcement of new reopening dates as some schools remain flooded and others have been damaged. Some displaced people have been living in schools while the government prepares to relocate them to camps.
Ruto had chaired a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that endorsed the reopening of schools on May 6.
On Friday morning, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu released a detailed roadmap for reopening and instructed Regional Directors of Education to enforce it.
Machogu wanted parents, guardians and teachers to ensure learners are safe in schools even as rains continued to pound. He also wanted those sheltering in schools given alternative accommodation and plans made by school heads to recover lost time.
But hours later, Ruto postponed reopening indefinitely. “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,” said Ruto.
Parents and education stakeholders lauded the President’s directive. National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa said:“It’s a big relief to parents, teachers and learners especially in the affected areas. This will pave the way for the government to carry out proper impact assessment across all schools and plan well in advance on what kind of approach will be used come the new date of reopening.”
He added: “The opportunity will also give the affected families enough time to prepare in advance for school reopening. We wish to caution parents against the ongoing floods and advise that it’s the parent’s responsibility to ensure their children are safe until the new reopening day is announced.”
The government has ordered people living near 178 dams and reservoirs that are either full or nearly full to evacuate or be forcefully moved.
Water levels at two major hydroelectric dams have reached historic highs and the government has warned those living downstream along the Tana River.
