Major Cities’ Schools Shut Down Amid Azimio Demos
Schools in Kisumu are also closed pending a security assessment of the city, as of 9:46 p.m.
Tuesday, July 18th, the government ordered the closure of all-day schools. In Nairobi and Mombasa counties in advance of this week’s anti-government demonstrations called for by the Azimio coalition.
In a joint statement, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu. And his Interior counterpart Kithure Kindiki explained that the decision was influenced by intelligence reports indicating that criminal elements intended to unleash havoc in the vicinity of certain schools in the two cities.
“As a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of schoolchildren, it has been decided that ALL day Primary and Secondary schools within the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa SHALL remain closed tomorrow,” reads a portion of the statement.
Tomorrow, the Ministry of Education is anticipated to announce the resumption of schooling following an assessment of the security situation.
It is still unclear whether the opposition will be on the streets for all three days, nor what measures the government will take to quell the unrest, which could have far-reaching effects.
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The directive does not apply to schools in other regions, including Kisumu and Kiirui, which have witnessed violent protests.
The previous round of disturbances left students stranded as police and protesters engaged in running battles.
In Kangemi and Nakuru, security forces fired tear gas into schools, disrupting the education of students. Following the incident at Kangemi, a few students were hospitalized.
Students were subjected to unnecessary chaos as police and protesters engaged in running battles in the nation’s main cities, which the government has condemned.
On January 14, Machogu urged the deployment of additional security personnel in educational institutions to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Major Cities’ Schools Shut Down Amid Azimio Demos
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