Nairobi Churches and Mosques Support Learners Through Weekend Study Camps

Several faith-based institutions across Nairobi have begun offering weekend study camps aimed at helping students prepare for exams and improve academic performance. On October 12, 2025, the Kenya Muslim Charitable Society (KMCS) unveiled a new weekend revision camp held at Jamia Plaza in Westlands, targeting over 150 secondary-school students from informal settlement areas. The initiative provides subject workshops, peer-mentoring sessions and free access to study materials, partnering with both local mosques and churches to ensure wider reach.
The move builds on a long-standing tradition of faith-based organisations stepping in to fill educational gaps. For example, the Kenya Students Christian Fellowship (KSCF) has organised camps and weekend programmes across Nairobi schools aimed at mentoring youth academically and spiritually. kscfnairobi.org+1 These events combine academic revision with character development, often hosted at church or mosque premises during weekends when classrooms are free. By selecting participants from schools in under-resourced communities, the initiatives seek to provide extra learning support and reduce the exam-readiness divide in Nairobi’s urban environment.
The response from students, parents and community leaders has been broadly positive. Participants report that the weekend camps give them uninterrupted study time, access to teachers and peer support—resources they often lack during weekdays due to heavy class sizes and limited extra-tutorial time. One mentor said, These spaces allow learners to ask questions without the pressure of the timetable. However, some education analysts caution that the reach of these camps must expand to include children in remote and informal-settlement schools to avoid reinforcing educational inequities.
Looking ahead, the faith-based organisations intend to scale the weekend study-camp model across all 17 sub-counties of Nairobi by 2026. Plans include mobile-camp formats in informal settlements, partnerships with county education departments, and digital-learning supplements for learners unable to attend physically. If successful, the initiative could become a strong component in Nairobi’s strategy to boost academic support beyond regular school hours and strengthen community-led educational provision.