Kenya Overhauls School Calendar After Arson Deaths, 37 Fires

Sixteen pupils are dead, 37 schools have burned, and the government is finally admitting the school calendar might be part of the problem.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced on Wednesday that the ministry will restructure the school calendar starting next year. The goal is to balance term lengths and reduce learner fatigue — which officials now blame for fuelling unrest in 204 boarding institutions across Kenya.

The announcement came two weeks after a fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, killed 16 pupils on the night of May 28. Investigators confirmed the blaze at the Meline Waithera Dormitory was arson. Nine suspects have been charged and remanded.

"There can never be justification for causing death and destroying property," Ogamba said during a Nairobi press conference. "Any grievances must only be addressed through appropriate channels without resorting to unlawful actions or violence."

The ministry listed several causes for the unrest: leadership problems in schools, exam stress, poor boarding conditions, drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure, and copycat behaviour.

"There can never be justification for causing death and destroying property."

The Kenya Red Cross has responded to 37 school fire incidents since January. Even elite institutions haven't been spared — Alliance High School was closed indefinitely after a fire on June 4.

Of the 204 schools that reported incidents, only 59 have resumed normal learning. The ministry says the unrest affects less than 2% of senior schools nationwide, but the concentration in boarding schools is striking.

A 2024 ministry assessment found many schools failed fire-safety standards — dormitories had barred windows, single exits, doors that opened inward, and overcrowding. Following that assessment, the ministry ordered 348 schools closed.

The deadliest school fire in Kenyan history remains the 2001 Kyanguli Secondary School blaze in Machakos County, where 67 boys died after fellow students deliberately set a dormitory alight. No one was ever punished after a court declared a mistrial.

Ogamba announced a multi-stakeholder team to investigate root causes and recommend long-term solutions. He also directed schools to hold Parents Association meetings and strengthen counselling programmes.

The second-term mid-term break will go ahead as scheduled from June 24 to June 28, 2026. Ogamba rejected pressure to send learners home early.

Grades 1 to 9 learners haven't been affected by the unrest, the ministry said, with basic education continuing without disruption.