Cabinet Secretary for education Fred Matiang’i has reiterated that he didn’t ban prayers in schools. He said prayer rallies have been abused instead, and have become an excuse for other things, insisting that they should not be held around the exam period. He added that the changes that were made in regards to the school calendar aren’t to blame for the rise in attacks “The first schools that experienced cases of arson were in January when we hadn’t changed dates,” he said.
The current upheaval being witnessed in schools in Kenya that has reared its ugly head in form of arson attacks has captured the attention of the whole country. The menacing issue was the main topic of discussion, as the Cabinet Secretary tabled a special report before the senate as he expounded on the ongoing crisis that has aroused debate. During the session, he noted that 68 schools have been affected by arson attacks this year, but said the government won’t give funds to assist in repairs, “The government will not put in any money in repairing schools,” he said. This may be in an effort to ensure strict discipline is upheld in the school, by the school management boards. He insinuated that some school heads and managements should be held responsible, citing an example where in a school where an arson attack occurred, the school head admitted students for the sole purpose of playing football, and they were allowed to watch television and had the freedom to walk in and out of school.
The Cabinet Secretary said the reason why arson cases have been concentrated on some regions more than others is yet to be ascertained, but hinted that greater collaboration has helped in less affected sides,” In less affected areas, there is greater collaboration between education officials and other government officials,” he said. There is an air of uncertainty as Kenyans wait to see what measures are going to be taken to ensure the arson cases are controlled and stopped, and Mr. Matiang’i assured that stable measures will be taken against the culprits, “ We want to make sure that these arson cases are investigated, prosecutions done and punishment meted,” he said.