Exam pressure, cash crisis blamed for fresh wave of unrest in schools

A fresh wave of unrest is sweeping through secondary schools across the country, threatening to disrupt end-of-term exams just days before schools close on August 2.

The unrest, which began at the start of July, has steadily intensified, with more than 10 secondary schools reporting violent strikes, arson attacks and widespread indiscipline in the past week alone.

This comes during the second term, the longest and most academically intense in the school calendar, and when schools are preparing for the end-of-term exams.

In most of the affected schools, learning has ground to a halt, raising concerns that the syllabus may not be completed in time.

Some students have been sent home indefinitely, while in other cases, dormitories have been burned down, leaving destruction behind and forcing school administrators to suspend classes.

The affected institutions include Moi Tea Girls, Litein High School, Kipsigis Girls, Keptewit Boys, Lari Boys, Senior Chief Koinange, Nakuru Girls, Tambach South Secondary School and Kapsinendet Secondary School.

At Moi Girls Eldoret, tension gripped the school earlier this week, prompting administrators to send Form Three students home following threats of an imminent strike.

In a further blow to the affected families, some schools are now charging parents thousands of shillings to repair the damage caused during the unrest, sparking outrage among parents already struggling with school-related costs.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, while addressing the issue on Tuesday, attributed the unrest to anxiety over upcoming exams.

“It is second term, we are currently doing exams, schools are about to close on August 2… there’s some sort of unrest. But we have advised our headteachers and field officers to work closely with students to reassure them,” he said.

However, education experts and teachers' unions say deeper underlying issues are affecting the institutions, leading to unrest.

School heads blame the chaos on financial distress caused by severe underfunding. 

Willie Kuria, a school principal and chair of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), said schools are struggling to stay afloat.

“Second term is 14 weeks long, yet schools have received only about Sh3,000 per student. In contrast, the first term was 13 weeks and we got over Sh8,000. How are schools expected to operate?” he said.

Kuria said the funding shortfall has made it difficult for schools to pay staff, feed students properly, or support extra-curricular activities like sports, music and drama.

“We’ve denied students opportunities to express themselves. They’re confined to classrooms with no breathing space. When pressure builds, it bursts through unrest,” he added.

He warned that the situation is worsening, with some schools resorting to food rationing and many support staff going without pay.

Teachers are unpaid. Cooks and cleaners feel abandoned. I’m not saying they are inciting students, but it’s possible,” said Kuria.

This has been echoed by the teachers through their union representatives.

Akello Misori, Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), blamed the unrest on delayed government funding that has seen principals and teachers overwhelmed and students forgotten.

“When teachers are demoralised, learners suffer. That’s when gaps begin to show.”

Misori also criticised the scrapping of corporal punishment without replacing it with effective alternatives and further pointed to political interference and declining respect for authority in society as additional causes of unrest.

“When MPs scold teachers in front of students and parents, they undermine the entire profession. You can’t expect order in schools when even national institutions are being questioned,” Misori said.

However, some education experts agree with the Ministry of Education's argument that the examination fever could be the biggest problem in the cause to school unrest.

Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa, Executive Director of Usawa Agenda, said unrest is especially common in schools with poor academic performance.

“When the second term begins and students start sitting mock exams, they realise they aren’t ready for KCSE. Anxiety builds up and can spill into violence,” he said.

He added that oppressive boarding conditions also play a role.

“These students are treated like machines—up at 5 am, asleep by 11 pm. No time to rest. Pressure builds up.”

Dr. Manyasa also linked unrest to school mismanagement, abuse and lack of justice when students’ rights are violated.

Manyasa cited drugs and alcohol as growing problems in schools with poor fencing or open access to surrounding communities. He also criticised how school prefects are selected.

“Some principals appoint prefects without student input. That creates leaders students don’t respect.”

Dr Manyasa called for urgent reforms, including merit-based appointment of school heads, better support systems for students, and closer collaboration with communities.

“We appoint anyone we like to lead schools. In other countries, principals go through psychometric tests and rigorous interviews,” he said.

Experts agree that unrest peaks in the second term because it is the longest and most intense.

“First term is still fresh; third term is short. But second term? The pressure piles up—exams, fatigue, poor conditions. Students reach a breaking point,” educationist Janet Muthoni Ouko told the Standard.

To end the recurring chaos, experts are calling for a total overhaul of how schools are managed, financed, and integrated with communities.

“We cannot pretend these are isolated incidents. This is a systemic issue. We need real change,” Dr. Manyasa concluded.