This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
On Sunday, July 5, 2020, Kenya's Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha announced that teachers must undergo Covid-19 testing before schools can reopen.
Magoha made the announcement after a consultative meeting with principals and college representatives at the Kenya School of Government in Embu.
He warned that colleges failing to test their tutors would not be allowed to reopen during the pandemic.
"We must test all the teachers before they go to class. They are not many, but if a teacher is Covid-19 positive, he or she has to stay at home," Magoha noted.
Magoha also emphasized that it was not the teacher's fault if they tested positive, citing that he could be Covid-19 positive as he spoke.
The Ministry of Education had previously stated that the biggest challenge was how to effect social distancing in classes.
Despite President Uhuru Kenyatta's announcement that schools could resume in September 2020, the date of school resumption remains unclear.
Magoha hinted that schools could reopen in January 2021, when the Covid-19 curve is expected to be flattened.
Testing of teachers was one of the conditions set by education stakeholder unions for schools to reopen.
As part of measures to protect students from Covid-19, the government will provide them with two masks each and ensure schools have adequate water for handwashing.
