Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, announced on Thursday that schools in several parts of the country may remain closed due to heavy rains causing flooding.

Machogu highlighted Tana River, Homa Bay, and Kisumu counties among the areas where school reopening may be delayed.

During his remarks on Thursday morning, Machogu emphasized that affected schools would not resume normal operations, with learners in these regions being considered for alternative learning methods.

While assessing the readiness of Karen C Secondary School in Nairobi for the second term, Machogu disclosed that 95% of schools nationwide were prepared for students to return.

Moreover, the CS revealed plans to shorten the August holiday to allow sufficient time for the completion of the syllabus, in light of the recent postponement of school reopening from May 6 to May 13 due to heavy rainfall.

The Ministry of Education is expected to issue directives specifying the affected schools and areas.

A survey on the impact of flooding revealed that over 1,900 schools had been affected, with some submerged.

In response to the need for rehabilitation and preparedness, Ndindi Nyoro, Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, assured that Parliament would approve necessary expenditures for flooding mitigation measures without capping spending.

Earlier, the government had requested Ksh10.6 billion to address the widespread damage caused by the relentless deluge across the nation.