This archive report was first published on 9 July 2019.
Kenyan lawmakers have proposed deploying undercover National Intelligence Service (NIS) agents in secondary schools to prevent unrest, citing the role of school board members in sponsoring unrest.
The proposal was contained in a report tabled in Parliament to address the issue of school unrest that affected about 100 secondary schools in 2018.
According to the report, the NIS agents will help gather information on student activities, especially those touching on security, and share it with school authorities to advise on preventive measures.
Education Committee Chairman Julius Melly was quoted in the report as saying, "The National Intelligence Service (NIS) should take an active role in gathering information in schools on student activities, especially that touching on security, and sharing the same with school authorities and advise on preventive measures to avert students unrest,"
The report also recommends reviewing the Basic Education Act 2013 to co-opt government administrators such as county commissioners and chiefs in boards of management to give them an opportunity to share security intelligence from time to time.
Recently, a case of school unrest took place at St Pius Uriri Secondary School in Migori County where students set their dormitory on fire after being denied a chance to watch an AFCON match.
Published on July 9, 2019.
