The Kenyan government has announced that all-day primary and secondary schools will be closed on Wednesday in the cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu due to protests organised by the opposition.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said in a statement on Tuesday that the move is to ensure the safety of students.
“As a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of schoolchildren, it has been decided that all primary and secondary schools within the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa will be closed on Wednesday,” Prof. Kindiki said in a statement.
He stated that the government had received credible security intelligence that criminal elements were planning to instill terror and violence in the public by engaging in armed clashes with security forces near specific schools in Nairobi and Mombasa.
He also stated that the Ministry of Education would announce the resumption of learning in institutions on Wednesday, pending an assessment of the security situation.
The announcement comes after the opposition announced on Wednesday the launch of the ‘Sufuria Movement’ to protest the high cost of living.
“At midday tomorrow, we ask Kenyans to come out of their homes and bang sufurias, pots, and pans to signify a lack of food,” Azimio La Umoja opposition member Martha Karua said.
She also stated that protesters would congregate at the Joseph Kangethe, Kamukunji, and Jacaranda grounds.