This archive report was first published on 25 August 2020.
On August 24, 2020, Kenya had reported 32,557 cases of Covid-19, including 554 deaths and 18,895 recoveries, prompting the Education Cabinet Secretary to suspend in-person learning until January 2021.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had ordered schools shut in March, citing the need to contain the spread of the virus, but the institutions were initially set to reopen in September. However, with the continued rise in cases, the reopening was put on hold.
Enock Aura, a concerned parent, has filed a lawsuit against the government, seeking to determine whether the President's order to close schools was lawful. He argues that the directive should have been published in the Kenya Gazette or debated and approved by the National Assembly.
Aura also claims that the conversion of learning institutions into Covid-19 quarantine facilities was a violation of the Public Health Act. He is seeking orders to compel the Ministry of Education to reopen schools from September 1, the start date of the next academic term.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's order to close schools was made in March, just days after Kenya confirmed its first Covid-19 case.
