Gov't Sets Schools Reopening Date On May 13 After Postponement

• President William Ruto announced the schools will be reopening for the second term on Monday, May 13
• The national government called off the reopening on two occasions owing to the flooding situation in most parts of the country
• The regular date for the reopening had been set on Monday, April 29, which was pushed to May 6 and later May 13

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi: Learning in schools will be resuming for the second term on Monday, May 13.

The announcement was a resolution by President William Ruto following counsel from the Meteorological Department and other stakeholders.

Ruto said the weatherman had confirmed that the rains would subside in the coming days, adding that the weather experts had concluded that it was safe for the learners to return to class.

“All parents are now advised, based on the assessment of weather experts and the government, that it is safe for our children to go back to school," said the president.

Ruto gave the update during his meeting with Maa leaders at State House, Nairobi on Wednesday, May 8.

On May 3, the president indefinitely suspended the reopening of the schools across the country as a precaution against the flooding disaster.

He further called on MPs to allocate more National Government Constituencies Development Funds (NG-CDF) to help schools in the reconstruction process after being ravaged by the floodwaters.

Earlier, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had revealed that the Exchequer would allocate KSh 4 billion to tackle the crises caused by flooding, including rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and installations.

Gachagua noted that the heavy torrential downpours had affected over 200,000 households in the country.

How many Kenyans were killed by floodwaters?

Government data indicated that as of Tuesday, May 7, the number of people killed by flooding and other impacts of the heavy rains had risen to 238 after 10 more bodies were recovered from Sunday, May 5.

While leading the distribution of food and non-food goods around Nyanza, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said 75 people were still missing after being swept by floods in various parts of the country.

Mwaura disclosed that 47,000 households had been displaced by the floods nationwide, with Nairobi county leading with 164,000 people reportedly affected.

He added that close to 600,000 learners had no schools to go back to since many institutions were either hosting displaced people or destroyed with toilets sunk and roofs blown off.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.