Terror and arson attacks are the biggest threat to school safety in Kenya, new studies show.
Somali-based terror group al Shabaab, communal conflicts and police use of excessive force are the main source of insecurity to schools.
Education Under Attack 2018 report prepared by a New York-based NGO Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack pointed to a spike in cases of insecurity in schools in the last five years.
There have been 400 documented arson cases in Kenyan schools in the last five years. Students were the main cause of arson attacks on schools.
In the five years from 2013 to 2018, 156 students and 20 teachers were killed. The highest number of those died in 2015 when al-Shabaab militants attacked Garissa University college killing 147 people.
During the same period seven teachers were abducted while 10 others were injured by suspected al-Shabaab groups. Majority of the incidents were
reported in Nairobi, Mombasa, Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Baringo and Lamu.
“Police and private security guards reportedly used excessive force against school and university student protesters, killing several students and injuring many more,” the report notes.
Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion said very little has been done by the government to ensure safety in schools. Rift Valley region suffered inter-communal conflicts while Nairobi was affected by police use of excessive force.
Global Education Monitoring report 2019 prepared by Unesco placed Kenya 10th in Africa among countries with a high level of attack on schools. Congo Democratic Republic of Congo leads, followed by Egypt, Nigeria, South Sudan and Somalia.