A burnt dormitory at Utumishi Girls Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County on May 28, 2026.
Students are demanding a seat at the table, calling for consultation forums at school, county and national levels to promote dialogue and avert the wave of unrest that has swept through more than 200 secondary schools across the country.
Kenya Students Education and Welfare Forum (KSEWF) has presented a petition to the National Assembly asking the House to recommend establishment of structured student consultation mechanisms.
The forum comprising school captains drawn from across the country reckons this will enable the country to understand the root causes of recurring unrest in secondary schools across Kenya.
“We pray that the National Assembly recommends the establishment of structured student consultation mechanisms at school, county, and national levels to strengthen dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution,” said the petitioners led by Thomas Luis.
Last week, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba noted that student unrest had spread in 204 secondary schools across the country but ruled out changes to the current education calendar.
Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba addresses participants during the 3rd KNEC Symposium in Nairobi on May 4, 2026.
The Ministry maintained that the affected schools represent about two percent of all secondary schools nationwide, highlighting a limited but disruptive challenge that has affected learning.
In their petition, the students also want the Committee on Education to be compelled to conduct public hearings and receive submissions from students, parents, teachers, school administrators, education experts, civil society organisa when ,,ations, and other stakeholders.
Growing cases of school fires
“Sustainable solutions to school unrest can only be achieved through collaboration among students, parents, teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and other education stakeholders,” the petition reads.
The petition comes at a time the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education is preparing to embark on a comprehensive inquiry into the growing cases of school fires, destruction of property and student unrest reported in learning institutions across the country.
The committee chairman Julius Melly (Tinderet MP) said the inquiry would help establish the root causes of the recurring incidents and inform recommendations to restore stability in schools.
National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Education Chairperson and Tinderet Constituency MP Julius Kibiwott Melly.
Findings from previous studies, audits and assessments on causes of unrest pointed to examination related stress, poor student-teacher relationships and inadequate mechanisms for addressing learner grievances.
Others are weak guidance and counselling programmes, overcrowding in schools, poor living conditions in some boarding institutions and drug and substance abuse as some of the major causes of unrest.
The petitioners note there is a need for enhanced student welfare systems, improved communication channels, stronger guidance and counselling services, and meaningful student participation in educational decision-making.
“As such, we pray that the National Assembly recommends measures to improve student welfare standards in learning institutions, including counselling services, student support systems, sanitation, accommodation, and learning environments,” read the petition.
The students have also taken issue with delayed and inadequate funding to schools that has been linked to illegal levies imposed on parents and guardians as schools grapple with strained resources.
“KSEWF prays that the National Assembly recommends enhanced transparency and accountability in the management and allocation of education resources,” said the petitioners.
As the country grapples with a rising wave of school unrest, arson attacks, and vandalism, a national debate has emerged over who bears the responsibility for the growing crisis in learning institutions.
The debate intensified following the tragic incident at Utumishi Girls Academy on May 28 2026, that claimed 16 lives following an arson attack by fellow students.
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.
Early investigations found that two teachers had been informed of the students’ alleged plans, but failed to stop them. The incident renewed concerns about student discipline, school safety and the role of parents in shaping learners' behaviour.
Over the years, the government has constituted several commissions, committees and task forces to investigate school fires and unrest and recommend measures to enhance the safety of learners.
Among them are the Kirima Commission of 1994, the Wangai Task Force of 2001 and the Koech Committee of 2008.
Following a wave of student unrest and dormitory fires in 2016, then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i appointed a Special Investigation
Team to probe the incidents, review recommendations from previous inquiries and assess the effectiveness of existing safety regulations in schools.
The team's findings, released in 2017, suggested that many schools were still ill-prepared to respond to fire emergencies.
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