Students arrested on suspicion of arson over a fire at Utumishi Girls' Academy Senior School in Gilgil that killed 16 students and injured 79 others, arrive at the Naivasha Law Courts on June 2, 2026.
Management of schools, the condition of dormitories and communication channels between teachers and students are among the issues Members of Parliament will focus on as they begin an inquiry into school unrest in the country this week.
The National Assembly Committee on Education will also examine school infrastructure in relation to student enrolment levels.
The committee is scheduled to meet the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Inspector General of Police in Nairobi before embarking on a countrywide fact-finding mission to various schools.
In its initial internal planning meeting, the committee also did not rule out the reintroduction of caning in schools as part of efforts to address indiscipline.
Government leaders led by Education CS Julius Ogamba, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, PS Julius Bitok, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, among others address students from Utumishi Girls Senior School at the institute’s parade ground on May 28, 2026.
Magarini MP Harrison Kombe, a member of the committee, lamented that the banning of caning in schools has contributed to rising indiscipline.
“Should our children have rights or privileges? This idea that our children cannot be caned or punished has really spoiled them,” Mr Kombe, a teacher by profession, said.
“The cane was really doing something to our children, but today you get a child arguing with a parent or a teacher in the name of rights. Yes, we are moving with the world, but we are killing our children,” he added.
Mr Kombe recalled how, during his teaching career, he once disciplined an indisciplined student whose parents had refused to do so.
“I told the parent to cane his own child, but he refused. I took the cane and gave him just one stroke. Years later, we met and he told me I had helped him. He is now a manager at a company that I will not mention,” Mr Kombe said.
Caning was banned in March 2001 through a legal notice issued by then Education Minister Kalonzo Musyoka. Any reversal would require a new legal notice from the ministry, making it a complex policy issue.
While the Education Act empowers the minister to regulate school management and disciplinary measures, the Children’s Act of 2001 prohibits all forms of physical and psychological abuse.
In its inquiry, the committee is also considering capping student enrolment per school and standardising infrastructure to ensure schools do not admit more learners than they can accommodate.
Lawmakers say standardisation would help address disparities where some schools are overcrowded while others remain underutilised despite having capacity.
Teso South MP Mary Emaase said indiscipline among students is the biggest challenge facing schools, blaming parents for abdicating their responsibilities.
Mary Emaase, the Member of Parliament for Teso South.
“Parents have left their responsibility of disciplining children to already overstretched teachers who have many students to deal with,” Ms Emaase said.
She added that school accommodation infrastructure must be reviewed, as some institutions admit more students than they can handle.
“When you have more students than your capacity, when disaster strikes, you will have more casualties,” she said.
She further noted that overcrowding increases the likelihood of idle students forming groups that plan acts of indiscipline.
Committee members also observed that some principals focus more on government capitation than on students’ welfare.
Igembe North MP Julius Taitumu blamed the disconnect between students and teachers on chief principals who are not in touch with what is happening in their schools.
“Chief principals live in ivory towers. Their communication with other teachers is wanting, to the point that some teachers fear giving them information for fear of being punished,” Mr Taitumu said.
“These principals are powerful; they drive bigger cars than even MPs because they receive more capitation money. Even when quality assurance officers are sent to their schools, nothing happens,” he added.
Committee chairperson Julius Melly said Education CS Julius Ogamba will provide a status update on the implementation of recommendations from various task forces on school unrest, while Inspector General Douglas Kanja will address broader security concerns in schools.
“This committee will not be part of the lamenting choir; we want solutions to this issue, and that is why we are moving with speed,” Mr Melly said.
National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Education Chairperson and Tinderet Constituency MP Julius Kibiwott Melly.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula had earlier urged the committee to probe school unrest following the fire tragedy at Utumishi Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, which led to the death of 16 learners.
Meanwhile, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has defended teachers against accusations of contributing to the growing wave of student unrest and arson attacks, blaming parental neglect, indiscipline, and political interference for the crisis affecting schools across the country.
According to Knut, the root cause of the crisis lies in weak parental guidance and increasing political intrusion into education matters.
Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu.
Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu accused some parents of abdicating their responsibility to guide and mentor their children, while also warning politicians against meddling in the administration of learning institutions as violence continues to rock schools nationwide.
“Let us take a total departure from this culture of pointing fingers where we have no issues. Fingers are being pointed at our teachers over a severe wave of student unrest and arson in schools, but parents and the political class must equally take their share of responsibility for the crisis,” said Mr Oyuu.
The union boss linked the rising unrest, which has affected more than 200 secondary schools, to growing indiscipline among learners, fuelled by inadequate parental guidance and mentorship.
He urged students to use established school governance structures to air grievances rather than resorting to violence and destruction of property.
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