This archive report was first published on 25 August 2020.
On August 25, 2020, a parent, Joseph Aura, moved to court seeking to compel Education CS Prof. George Magoha to reopen schools in September for the third and final term.
Aura, a father of three, argued that since the closure of schools due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March, his kids and others across the country have been at home indefinitely.
He claimed that in-person learning is the best model when it comes to education of children compared to virtual methods.
Aura wants the court to compel Magoha to reopen all schools for the third academic term and bar him from implementing the community-based learning project across the country.
He further seeks to have the court compel Health CS Mutahi Kagwe to reopen all playing grounds and recreational centers for all children in Kenya.
According to court documents, Aura stated, "The oppressive psychological and mental torture inflicted on the school-going children because of the open-ended closure of schools effected by the ministry from March till now has gravely injured them."
Lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui represented Aura in court, arguing that many countries with high numbers of Covid-19 cases have reopened their schools, including France, Japan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Senegal, Gambia, Namibia, and Ghana.
