Why students are burning schools, weeks to closure

For the past three weeks, unrest has rocked the education sector as more than 30 secondary schools across Kenya have gone on strike.

Across the country, students have staged riots, destroyed property, and in some cases, set dormitories ablaze.

The incidents, concentrated just weeks before national examinations, have reignited fears of runaway indiscipline in schools and raised difficult questions about the state of Kenya’s education system.

Usawa Agenda Director Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa linked the cause to administrative lapse in schools.

“I think it is the same old causes: Mismanagement, indiscipline (usually of a few students), contagion (students emulating others who have done it), unresolved grievances, conflicts between school management and teachers or the community around the school, drug abuse in schools and examination fever,” said Dr. Manyasa.

For decades, unrest in the third school term has followed a familiar script heightened exam pressure, shortened breaks, inadequate resources, and heavy-handed responses from administrators.

Yet, despite commissions of inquiry, tough ministry circulars, and punitive suspensions, every time schools’ properties go up in flames, raising question on who to blame.

This year, Mbale high school in Vihiga, Litein Boys, Cheptenye Boys, Kiptewit, Nyabondo Boys, and Kabaa High School are among the institutions hit by violent protests. In Kericho County alone, at least six schools have reported major incidents since September.

Stakeholders disagree on the root causes of the crisis pointing fingers in different directions.

Alumni, clergy, education experts, administrators, and government officials all place blame differently.

“Investing in fire safety, expanding counselling services, training leaders in conflict management, and reintroducing supervised extracurricular activities are urgent priorities,” said Prof. Henry Embeywa, Lecturer Machakos University.

Experts also stress the need for balanced responses with those who commit arson must be punished, but institutions must also address the grievances and vulnerabilities that drive students to such extremes.

Alumni accuse administrators of being detached from students, poor grievance channels, outdated discipline methods, and weak home-school partnerships.

 “Indiscipline is a product of hands-off leadership. When principals and teachers do not listen to student concerns, resentment builds until it explodes,” said one alumnus from Litein school.

Others say indiscipline in schools cannot be reduced to student mischief alone.

Willy Kuria, chairman of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA), said the crisis is rooted in systemic failures underfunding and lack of psychosocial support.

 “When you don’t pay your staff, be it teachers or support staff, they can do anything. Some may express their anger through students. The learning environment is not good at all,” said Kuria.

He said principals, however, are doing their best under difficult circumstances.

“Schools are cutting food rations, asking parents to buy stationery, and yet exams are just weeks away. Without government funds, principals are exposed to challenges beyond their control,” Kuria said.

Education experts see the unrest as the outcome of multiple intersecting pressures. Prof. Maurice Okoth, a higher education consultant and former vice-chancellor, blamed this problem on lapse in school administrations.

“It’s a mix of immediate student grievances discipline, food, shortened breaks combined with access to social media coordination, exam pressure, and poor school governance. Weak counselling, safety lapses, historical patterns of copycat behaviour, and sometimes politicised or heavy-handed responses only make it worse,” he said.

Prof. Okoth warned, “If we fail to act decisively yet thoughtfully, the fires will return, burning not just classrooms but also our faith in the education system itself.”

His views were echoed by Prof. Simon Thuranira, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Meru University, arguing that fear of poor performance in high-stakes exams fuels unrest. “Exam phobia is real, sending shivers in the spine of this students” he said.

Dr. Mercy Igoki, a career coach and registrar at a private university, pointed to the absence of extracurricular activities in Term Three as another factor.

“The Ministry of Education’s ban on games and clubs in this term was meant to curb exam cheating, but it has left students restless and idle. Can you imagine a whole term with no outlet for youthful energy? Boredom easily escalates into violence,” she said.

She also warned against outdated disciplinary methods.

“Today’s learners are Gen Z. Harsh authoritarian approaches only breed resistance. We must adopt empathetic and innovative discipline strategies, strengthen mentorship, and work with parents to reinforce values at home.”

Parents remain the silent casualties of school unrest. They not only pay hefty fees but also shoulder the costs of destroyed infrastructure. Some have lost children in dormitory fires due to poor safety standards. Many feel abandoned by both school leaders and government authorities.

Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs Salim Mvurya recently challenged parents and clergy to step up.

“Parents, churches, and mosques have a duty to instill good morals in the youth. Moral decadence in the family contributes directly to what we see in schools,” he said in Kwale County.

Religious leaders including Arch. Kenneth Adiara, General Superintendent PAG Kenya have urged schools to integrate chaplaincy programs and for parents to reclaim their role in moral formation.

“As a church, we should take our role of guiding our congregation on moral up bring of children. Church leaders should integrate programs that can guide youth on how to co-exist in the society,” said Rev. Adiara.

Civil society groups caution that punitive responses such as mass suspensions and abrupt closures only mask the problem.

“Without accountability for unsafe infrastructure, transparent investigations, and proper investment in counselling, the cycle of fire and fear will continue,” one child welfare advocate said.

Wilson Sossion, former KNUT secretary general, believes the solution lies in stronger oversight.

“These are management questions that require thorough inspection of schools. Inspect all schools regularly,” he insisted.