Nairobi Schools Resume Normal Learning After Weeks of Disruptions

Public and private schools across Nairobi County have fully resumed normal teaching and learning as of Monday, November 24, 2025, ending nearly three weeks of widespread disruptions triggered by a confluence of strikes, infrastructure failures, and severe weather. The return follows a tripartite agreement brokered by Nairobi City County Education Executive Anne Waiguru, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), which resolved a 10-day industrial action over delayed rural hardship allowances and unresolved transfer grievances. Simultaneously, county engineering teams completed emergency repairs to flood-damaged infrastructure in 37 schools—particularly in Embakasi, Kasarani, and Lang’ata sub-counties—after torrential downpours in early November submerged classrooms and collapsed drainage systems at 12 institutions. We prioritized safety and continuity, said Waiguru during a tour of Kayole One Secondary, where temporary modular units now house learners while permanent repairs continue. At the school level, headteachers report high learner turnout—averaging 94% countywide—with remedial catch-up timetables rolled out to recover lost syllabus hours, especially for KCSE 2025 candidates. Psychological support teams from the County Department of Health have also deployed to 60 high-impact schools to address trauma from the floods and prolonged uncertainty. Parent forums, including the Nairobi CBC Parents Network, welcomed the return but urged long-term solutions: Ad-hoc fixes won’t suffice. We need climate-resilient schools and timely TSC responsiveness, said chair Wanjiru Kariuki. The Ministry of Education has pledged a KSh 2.3 billion County Education Stabilisation Fund in the 2026/27 budget to prevent recurrence. For now, chalk dust is back in the air, bells are ringing on time, and, as one Form Four student at St. Teresa’s wrote in her diary: Finally, silence—but the good kind. The kind that means learning has returned.