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School principals have rejected attempts to link them to the rampant school unrest and arson, saying that collective responsibility must cut across.
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Speaking ahead of the 49th KESSHA Annual National Delegates Conference in Mombasa, the principals argued that holding school administrators solely responsible for the growing crisis was both unfair and misleading.
Secondary school principals have rejected attempts to link them directly to the wave of arson incidents and student unrest that have affected schools nationwide since April, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 students and disrupting learning in hundreds of institutions.
Speaking ahead of the 49th Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) Annual National Delegates Conference in Mombasa, the principals argued that holding school administrators solely responsible for the growing crisis was both unfair and misleading.
Their comments come against the backdrop of growing concern within the Ministry of Education, which has attributed the recent wave of unrest to failures in institutional leadership and urged school principals to take greater responsibility for students’ welfare, discipline and safety.
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KESSHA National Chairman Willie Kuria admitted that the second term of 2026 has posed significant challenges for school administrators, noting that it has been one of the most turbulent periods in recent years due to the widespread cases of unrest reported in schools.
“This term, we have experienced several cases of unrest in schools and, definitely, this is one of the key issues we shall discuss at the conference. We shall share experiences from different parts of the country on what happened and explore the way forward. It has been a very challenging period for school heads,” said Kuria.
The conference, bringing together approximately 9,000 principals from across the country, is set to examine the root causes of student unrest, explore preventive measures, and discuss wider education reforms, including the implementation of Competency-Based Education (CBE).
By Frank Mugwe
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