This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has taken swift action to address reports of bullying in schools, ordering a parallel probe into incidents at Nairobi School and a school in Siaya County.
Already, the Education ministry has begun an independent investigation at Nairobi School, where a student was seriously injured by prefects, sparking concerns that bullying is creeping back into schools.
Prof Magoha, who visited Nanyuki Primary School to oversee the implementation of the new competency-based curriculum, demanded another investigation and directed the schools' leaders to submit a report by next week.
“I know investigations are underway, but on the parallel side, I would like to know directly from the people whom we have entrusted with the children’s life what is going on there,” he said.
Prof Magoha emphasized that nobody is empowered to touch a child physically in schools, and that any form of bullying must be stopped.
His comments come after recent reports raised fears that bullying is rampant in boys' schools, especially in Nairobi, with a 2017 incident at Alliance High School exposing chilling details of bullying and torture meted out on Form One students by seniors.
The ministry will hold a stakeholders conference on August 16 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre to discuss the competency-based curriculum, which Prof Magoha affirmed is being rolled out efficiently in all schools countrywide.
