CS Ogamba appoints 52-member team to investigate recurring school unrest

Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba has appointed a 52-member task team to investigate recurring unrest in Kenyan schools, review previous recommendations, and propose measures to improve learner safety and discipline.

The appointment, published in Gazette Notice No. 16733 on Friday, October 23, 2026, gives the team 90 days to examine the causes of the 2026 disturbances and recommend reforms.

Professor Peter Mulwa Mbithi will chair the team, while Dr William Sugut will serve as lead joint secretary. The Ministry of Education will provide the secretariat.

The team will review previous reports on school unrest to establish whether their recommendations were implemented and identify obstacles that may have limited their effectiveness.

It will also investigate the immediate, underlying and systemic causes of the disturbances, taking into account differences across regions, school categories, gender, age, disability and boarding status.

“The Task Team shall investigate, assess and make recommendations regarding the immediate, underlying, and systemic causes of the 2026 school unrest,” the Gazette notice stated.

The investigation follows a wave of unrest earlier in 2026 that disrupted learning in secondary schools, with the Ministry of Education reporting incidents in 204 senior schools by June, with Most of the affected institutions being boarding schools.

The ministry previously identified several possible contributors, including examination anxiety, leadership challenges, poor boarding conditions, alcohol and drug abuse, demanding school routines, peer influence and copycat behaviour.

Other concerns raised by education stakeholders include overcrowding, inadequate student welfare, harsh disciplinary practices, weak communication between learners and school administrators, bullying, and gaps in guidance and counselling.

The new task team will examine examination stress, smartphones, social media, misinformation, gender-based violence, and the influence of peers, among other factors.

Its findings are expected to help establish how these pressures interact with school management and learner welfare, rather than treating every incident as an isolated disciplinary problem.

Beyond discipline, the team will assess boarding-school safety, emergency preparedness and the condition of school infrastructure.

It will also investigate whether the cost of uniforms places pressure on households and recommend measures to improve affordability and regulate how uniforms are acquired.

“Assess and recommend a policy framework for school uniforms, including their costs, affordability, and mechanisms for their acquisition," the notice read.

The review will further examine links between unrest, school fees, government capitation grants and the state of learning facilities, mental health and accountability

The team will also assess guidance and counselling, mental health support, chaplaincy, career development, and mechanisms for learners, parents, and teachers to raise concerns safely.

It will also examine the responsibilities of school heads, Boards of Management, parents, education authorities and security agencies in preventing unrest and responding to incidents.

The team must submit monthly progress reports to Ogamba and a final report at the end of its 90-day mandate.