- The government has directed county administrators to identify alternative shelters for families displaced by expected El Niño rains.
- Primary and secondary schools will not be used as IDP camps because this could disrupt national examinations and damage infrastructure.
- Churches, mosques and chiefs’ camps are among the facilities being considered as alternative emergency shelters.
The government has ruled out the use of primary and secondary schools as emergency shelters for families displaced by the expected El Niño rains, with the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) directing county commissioners to identify alternative facilities, including churches, mosques and chiefs’ camps.
Col (Rtd) David Samoei, Director of the National Disaster Operations Centre, said the decision was necessary to protect learning institutions from disruption as Kenya prepares for national examinations in October and November. The Ministry of Interior lists Samoei as the Director of NDOC.
Samoei said the government had specifically discouraged the use of schools as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps because doing so could interfere with examinations and result in destruction of school infrastructure.
“We have been talking to county commissioners, asking them to identify IDP areas. And we have discouraged use of primary schools and secondary schools as IDP camps,” Samoei said.
He explained that the concern was particularly serious because the anticipated heavy rains will coincide with the examination season.
“Reason being that they interfere with the exams which are coming up in October, and November. And also, if schools are used as IDP camps, they destroy the infrastructure,” he said.
The government has instead asked administrators to identify churches, mosques, chiefs’ camps and other suitable facilities that can accommodate displaced families.
Heavy rains to coincide with examination season
The warning gives the education sector an additional reason to prepare for a potentially difficult examination period.
Kenya is expected to experience enhanced October-November-December rains, with current regional forecasts indicating wetter-than-normal conditions as El Niño strengthens. The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre says El Niño has developed and is expected to strengthen during the remainder of 2026.
The Kenya Meteorological Service has similarly projected above-average rainfall in much of the country during the October-November-December season, with prolonged wet spells and occasional isolated storms expected in several areas.
Kenya will administer national assessments and examinations during the rainy season, putting additional pressure on education officials to ensure examination centres remain accessible and secure.
The Ministry of Education will also need to work closely with disaster management authorities in areas where flooding could cut off roads and bridges or force communities from their homes.
For schools, the decision offers an important layer of protection.
Using classrooms as emergency camps during the examination period could disrupt learning, compromise examination preparations and expose school property to damage.
But keeping schools out of the IDP shelter network does not eliminate the risks posed by the rains.
Flooding could still make schools inaccessible, damage infrastructure and prevent teachers, learners and examination officials from reaching centres.
The challenge for education authorities will therefore be to keep learning and examinations running wherever conditions remain safe while ensuring that learners in high-risk areas are not exposed to danger.
Counties tasked with identifying alternative shelters
The government’s decision places greater responsibility on county administrators to ensure alternative shelters are ready before displacement begins.
Samoei said authorities are mapping facilities that could accommodate affected families as part of preparations for the anticipated rains.
For Kenya’s education system, the message is clear: schools must remain places of learning and examination, not emergency displacement camps.
As the country heads into the October-November examination window, the preparedness plan will be tested by whether authorities can protect displaced families while keeping learning institutions operational and national examinations on course.
By Hillary Muhalya
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