The wave of school unrest has been sweeping the Kenyan secondary schools each year and it is perceived as a great threat to the moral and academic attainment of the school going youth. This trend with its negative effects has not only resulted in students’ violence, rioting, strikes and the burning of school properties such as dormitories and laboratories but it has also led to the premature death of students.

Experts says that the leading causes school unrest include negative peer pressure, drug and substance abuse, exam phobia, students’ malicious actions, poor diet, harassment by teachers, high handedness by school administration. electrical faults, ineffective guidance and counselling programs, media influence, lack of good role models and broken families. In addition, there is an increasing rate of youth who drop out of school and college and some end up being engaged in crime and violence.

As of February 2021, numerous surging cases of school unrest has been reported across the country since the schools re-opened on January 4th. To some extent, experts have argued that the closure of schools for a period of 10 months in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic have largely contributed to the deteriorating discipline among the learners. In addition, many teenage girls were reported to be pregnant during the schools’ lockdown.

In the real sense, schools have a key responsibility for raising students who are not only intellectually vibrant but also morally strong and socially responsible. Researchers and education experts have put across numerous prevention strategies which can be used to prevent students unrest and burning of schools. This includes creating a friendlier community atmosphere in schools; establishing effective communication and reporting channels, strengthen the guidance and counselling departments; building positive relationships between students and teachers; assigning students adult role models and caring teachers as moral exemplars, and educate and prepare students on how to respond to fire alarms.

The Centre for Character and Leadership will continue to work closely with schools to implement Character Education Programme as the initiative offers practical research driven strategies designed to steer working relationship between parents, teachers and communities in the interest of nurturing good character and morals into the lives of the young people.