The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has called for enhanced student engagement and dialogue as a wave of unrest continues to be reported in schools across the country.
Speaking after a church service at Nyakach Girls High School in Kisumu County, KNUT Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno attributed the increasing incidents of unrest largely to peer influence and warned that the trend was leading to the destruction of critical learning infrastructure.
He cautioned that disruptions to the school calendar place a heavy financial burden on the education system and undermine learning continuity.
“The school calendar must proceed uninterrupted so that we complete the academic year as planned. It is very expensive to disrupt it. Students are urged to style up and behave as expected,” Otieno said.
He further encouraged learners to channel their grievances through established internal structures within schools rather than resorting to disruptive protests or acts of indiscipline.
“If you have issues you want addressed, there are elected student leaders in your schools. Engage them so that there is structured dialogue with the school administration,” he added.
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During the same event, Children Services Principal Secretary Carren Angeng’o praised schools that have successfully established strong communication and engagement frameworks between teachers and students.
She noted that such systems help foster discipline while also providing safe and structured channels for learners to express concerns.
“We have seen here how teachers are positively engaging students. There are clear channels for discipline and communication. Other schools should emulate this approach to create safe learning environments, not environments of discomfort,” she said.
Education stakeholders continue to raise concern over recurring cases of unrest in schools, calling for stronger mentorship, dialogue, and preventive mechanisms to safeguard learning stability.
By Frank Mugwe
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