• Majority of learners 1.13 million who did not attend school are supposed to be in primary school, while 658,730 are meant to be in secondary school.
• In Mandera 170,050 children were found not to attend school, Garissa (166,010), Wajir (152,130) and Turkana (144,520)
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
An estimated 1.8 million children who are supposed to be in school have either dropped out or never been in school at all.
This is 18 years since the launch of free primary education by former President Mwai Kibaki.
The national out-of-school children study suggests that 950,760 of those out of school are boys, while 841,680 are girls.
The report by Unicef and Unesco was launched on Tuesday.
Some 1.13 million learners who are out of school are supposed to be in primary, while 658,730 are meant to be in secondary school.
The report relies on data from the National Education Management Information System and the 2019 census.
It also launched a roadmap in the rollout of a programme dubbed 'Operation come to school', which seeks to enroll at least 250,000 children by 2023.
The report comes at a time the government is pushing for a 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school.
The Constitution requires that all children should at least get 12 years of basic education — primary and secondary school.
Presenting the study, lead author Georges Boade said the burden of those not attending school was shouldered by counties in the arid and semi-arid regions. These include Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Turkana, Marsabit, Tana River, Samburu, West Pokot, Isiolo, Baringo, Lamu, Kwale, Narok, and Kajiado.
Others are Bungoma, Laikipia, Trans Nzoia, Busia, Kitui, Kakamega, Vihiga and Makueni.
Mandera accounted for the majority of children out of school at 170,050, Garissa (166,010), Wajir (152,130), and Turkana (144,520).
Counties with the highest number of out-of-school children with disabilities are Turkana 4,573 (2,351 girls), Mandera 10,082 (3,248 girls), Garissa 4,317 (1,728 girls) and Wajir 2,874 (1, 144 girls).
Those out of school are in grazing fields, market places, public transport businesses, on the streets and in entertainment joints.
Edwins Saka from the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya, said in Bungoma, those not attending school are mostly on farms and streets.
In Kwale and Kilifi counties, the majority of those out of school are found on the beach and in entertainment places.
Each county had its own unique factor that contributed to children shunning school. In Northern Kenya, for example, it was linked to the unfavourable dry weather conditions as pastoralists migrate with their children.
The Islamic teaching of children of Dugsi and Madrassa were also blamed for children missing school.
Vulnerability to extremism was also identified as a factor in the counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa.
In Marsabit, the high number of children out of school was due to early marriages and pregnancies as a result of cultures and traditions, drought induced by climate change, cross-border and inter-communal conflicts.
In West Pokot, Baringo and Samburu, outdated practices such as cattle rustling and banditry were cited as reasons why children are not in school.
Cross-border trade, the collapse of Webuye Paper Industry and insecurity triggered by emerging boda boda operators was attributed to children keeping away from school in Bungoma county.
Further, schooling was affected by banditry in Mt Elgon area, high pregnancy rate among teenagers because of low levels of literacy among girls, cultural practices such as male circumcision ceremonies and night funeral vigils popularly known as disco matangas.
“Some of the young people spend nights in the funeral vigils and young girls end up pregnant by the time they leave these places,” Saka said during the launch.
In Kajiado county, the high number of children out of school is attributed to the distribution of moranism, pastoralism and long distance to nearest public primary schools.
In Narok, about 36,656 children are not in school due to retrogressive cultural practices such as FGM and moranism, cross-border trade and negative effects of tourism, among others. Narok leads in FGM in the country.
In the Coastal region, it was observed that retrogressive traditional practices, poverty, teenage pregnancies and/or child marriages, high pregnancy rate among teenagers due to night discos locally known as ‘usiniriche’ have contributed to the high number of school dropouts.
Challenges in efforts to bring the learners back to school are uncooperative parents, negative attitudes, poverty, insecurity and nomadic lifestyle.
The resumption of studies by girls has been hindered by teenage pregnancies and early marriages, peer pressure, household chores and cultural practices.
On the other hand, boys are not willing to go to school as they are engaged in running boda boda businesses, have succumbed to peer pressure, suffer parental negligence, practice nomadic lifestyle or are victims of child labour and insecurity.
Interventions employed to ensure children study include feeding programmes, enforcement by local administrators/chiefs, giving sanitary towels and awareness campaigns.
The report also lauds the 100 per cent transition directive as well as enforcement by the local administration in ensuring those out of school are enrolled back.