President William Ruto has announced that schools across the country will open on Monday, May 13 for term two.
The president says that his decision to reopen schools follows professional advice from the Kenya Meteorological Department.
President Ruto had on Friday May 3 indefinitely postponed the reopening of schools over what he termed as excessive flooding. The schools had been scheduled by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to reopen on Monday May 6.
Initially, though, term two of the current academic year had been scheduled to start on April 29. However, CS Machogu had postponed this reopening with a statement that was released in the middle of the night on the even of the schools reopening.
How term two, term three will be adjusted after delayed school opening
As the schools reopen, the Ministry of Education is expected to readjust the calendar for the remaining academic year.
Earlier in the week, CS Machogu had hinted in an interview with a local newspaper that the Ministry of Education would consider stretching term two and three, while reducing the holidays schedules for the months of August and December in order to make up for the lost two weeks.
Whereas floods have largely subsided in many parts of the country, the Nyanza and Western region continues to experience heavy rains with some areas getting as much as 300mm of rainfall within the last ten days. It is not clear whether schools in areas still experiencing heavy rains will also reopen on May 13.
