File image of the burned dormitory.
By Professor Peter Ndiang’ui, Fort Myers Florida USA
We require an honest and collective reflection on the troubling developments unfolding in our schools. How do students in reputable institutions reach a point where they not only destroy the very institutions meant to shape their future, but also turn against their own classmates, at times with fatal consequences?
With similar incidents being reported across the country, these can no longer be dismissed as isolated occurrences. They are symptoms of a deeper malaise; one that extends beyond the education sector to the broader Kenyan society.
Most of us are products of these same schools. For many, they were not merely centers of academic instruction, but formative spaces where we learned to live with others, respect difference, and uphold human dignity. Many of us continue to carry those lessons of coexistence throughout our lives. In many ways, these institutions remain the foundations upon which our personal and professional lives were built.
Among the most enduring principles instilled in us was the “golden rule”—to treat others as we would wish to be treated. Across moral, religious, and philosophical traditions, this principle is reinforced by a shared conviction: that human life is sacred, and that compassion is fundamental to a functioning civilization.
Within these same schools, we also learned to value love for our neighbors, to cherish the loyalty and tenderness of the heart, the wisdom, justice, and courage of the mind, and the discipline and strength required to develop one’s talents. These values are essential as each of us plays a role in advancing the common good. We owe this responsibility to ourselves and to one another.
Yet we must confront a difficult question: why are these values being steadily eroded not only within schools, but across society as a whole? When ethical formation, empathy, and respect for life are weakened at home, in educational institutions, and within leadership structures, schools inevitably begin to reflect that broader societal decline.
When corruption becomes normalized, when abductions of the youth and killings of those with differing viewpoints occur, and when truth and justice are disregarded, society loses its moral compass. In such an environment, young people are left without stable guiding principles. The consequences of this breakdown are increasingly evident within our schools.
Parents rightly celebrate when their children gain admission to boarding schools, particularly national institutions. Yet it is deeply concerning that some of these schools are now experiencing repeated disruptions and closures. This situation demands urgent and sustained attention.
All Kenyan leaders, regardless of political affiliation, bear a shared responsibility to address this crisis. When a snake enters a house, the immediate concern is not who left the door open, but how to eliminate the danger before harm is done. Similarly, we are confronted with a serious breakdown of order and discipline in our schools. This is not a moment for political division, but for decisive collective action. While temporary measures such as school closures may occasionally be necessary, they do not address the underlying causes.
What is required is a deeper national and societal reckoning—one grounded not in blame, but in shared responsibility. This is not a time for finger-pointing, but for collective resolve.
We must also listen attentively to our children. What pressures, frustrations, or systemic failures are driving them toward such destructive behavior?
For those in the diaspora and elsewhere who invest in education with hope and sacrifice, it is deeply painful to witness the disruption of schools and the resulting loss of learning time and opportunity. At a personal level, together with members of the Nyeri Diaspora Advisory Council, we contribute millions of shillings annually to support school fees for children from low-income families, in addition to assisting our own relatives. The expectation is that education will provide a pathway for upward mobility and enable beneficiaries to uplift their families and communities.
Today, many of these students, particularly those in boarding schools, are at home. This is a loss that no stakeholder benefits from. And more painfully, this unrest has led to the loss of precious innocent lives. Every parent should bear the pain of those who have lost their children in this manner.
We therefore call upon national leadership, including President William Ruto, the Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba, leaders of the opposition, and all relevant stakeholders, to convene an urgent national crisis dialogue to address this matter comprehensively. Silence or political blame-shifting will not resolve the situation.
We are all in this together.
