County Plans to Build More Classrooms in Overcrowded Nairobi Schools

In response to escalating student numbers and packed classrooms, the national government announced on March 11 that it will allocate KSh 1 billion to construct new classrooms in Nairobi County. President William Ruto stated that the funds will supplement existing programmes to ensure learners in Kenya’s largest city have adequate learning spaces. We have too many children in schools that lack the requisite facilities for quality education, he said during a visit to St Teresa Girls’ School in Mathare.
The announcement builds on earlier commitments that at least 3,500 new classrooms would be built in NaAccording to a recent inspection by Nairobi MPs, some schools face extreme overcrowding with more than 100 pupils per class—particularly in informal settlement zones where land constraints limit expansion.
Education stakeholders say the injection of infrastructure funds is welcome but caution it must be accompanied by strong planning and coordination. Multi-constituency collaboration is being urged to maximise resource use across densely populated zones. Schools and County officials emphasise that beyond classrooms, attention must also go to labs, teaching materials, and support facilities to ensure the new spaces translate into improved learning outcomes.
Looking ahead, the county and national government plan phased implementation of classroom construction across Nairobi’s 17 sub-counties. Priority is being given to schools experiencing the worst overcrowding. Monitoring mechanisms are expected to track construction progress and spending. If successful, the expansion could significantly reduce strain in urban schools and help restore manageable class sizes for Nairobi’s learners.