Parents Call for Postponement of School Re-Opening in Flood-Prone Areas
The Kenya National Parents Association (KNAP) has encouraged the government to reassess school opening dates in flood-affected regions.
With some dwellings and learning facilities damaged by flooding, the association’s Secretary General, Eskimos Kobia, warned that thousands of children’s lives are at risk as schools resumes this week.
This occurred while the Meteorological Department predicted severe rains in the next few days, with over 70 people reported dead and more injured or missing.
Kobia urged the Ministry of Education to assess the number of schools affected by the rains and change opening dates to protect students and teachers.
As schools reopen for the second term, the prime minister said that they were closely monitoring the ongoing rains and working with the government to ensure the safety of students.
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Speaking in Naivasha on Sunday, the KNAP Secretary-General noted that in certain areas severely affected by the rains, victims had camped in surrounding schools.
He emphasized that the rains had obstructed vital highways, mainly in rural areas, endangering the children’s lives.
He continued by stating that the issue was not only about reopening schools, but also about the students’ safety when traveling from home to the learning institutions.
Kobia reports that the association’s initial evaluation found that most affected families had lost their school uniforms and learning materials.
He added that learning materials had washed away and that classrooms in damaged schools had collapsed, rendering them uninhabitable.
The minister stated that the floods had negatively impacted the education sector, and they welcomed the government’s decision to form a multi-agency team to assist those displaced.
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In Naivasha, residents near Lake Naivasha and the River Malewa have received warnings to move to higher ground due to significant increases in water levels over the past two weeks.
According to Friends of Lake Naivasha chairman Francis Muthui, heavy rains in the catchment areas forced all rivers, including seasonal ones, to flood into the lake.
He urged residents of Kihoto living near Lake Naivasha, as well as those in close proximity to Rivers Malewa and Karati, to begin relocating before it was too late.
Parents Call for Postponement of School Re-Opening in Flood-Prone Areas
