More than five schools have been ordered closed in the Kajiado County following heavy rains in the last two weeks.
The schools are located in Kajiado West sub-county, where flash floods are reported to have caused major damage.
Four public schools and one private one, located in Magadi, have been temporarily closed, with fears that more will be closed over inaccessibility.
Oloibortoto primary and secondary schools, Entasopia Primary School, Paterson Secondary School, Pakase and Ilkiramatian primary schools, as well as Memusi Academy, were ordered shut.
The ongoing rains have affected the learning calendar as pupil attendance in public schools drops.
Some schools located a few kilometres from the main road have also been rendered inaccessible owing to the poor state of the road.
For instance, Acacia Crest Academy, located near the Nairobi-Namanga road, and other private institutions such as Kitengela International School, Orchard and Ideal academies, have expressed fears of being closed if the rains continue as school buses can barely access them.
"More than 400 pupils who use buses have been affected and the school schedule interrupted due to late reporting by pupils and early departures. We are worried that if the road is not rehabilitated, we will have to temporarily close the school,’’ said Catherine Maina, principal of Acacia Crest academy.
The county government recently allocated Sh1.4 million for road repairs through the emergency fund but it remains impassable.
Education stakeholders are now calling on the county government to repair roads and bridges to facilitate accessibility to learning institutions.
Isinya District Education Officer Elizabeth Otieno yesterday told The Standard that some school toilets in the area had been filled with rainwater.
"Attendance in most public schools is below 50 per cent due to inaccessibility. Schools bordering rivers have been adversely affected," Ms Otieno said.
Killer bridges
Meanwhile, residents of Ongata Rongai yesterday staged protests over three killer bridges they claimed had caused the deaths of seven people.
Through their association, the residents said Acacia, Fatima South and Kwekwe rivers had for a long time caused deaths and destroyed property.
Kiserian and Ongata Rongai Residents Association (Korra) boss Fred Gory said the same issues kept recurring yearly but the authorities had done nothing to offer a solution.
“These issues are not new; people die here every time it rains,” said Mr Gory.
