The Ministry of Education (MoE) instructs county officers to provide information on electricity connectivity in schools

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has issued a directive to its County Directors of Education (CDEs) tasking them with providing data on secondary schools lacking electricity in their respective jurisdictions. The initiative aims to facilitate the connection of these schools to the power grid by the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) to promote universal access to electricity in the education sector.

In a letter dated March 6, 2024, and signed by Paul Kibet on behalf of Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang’, the education directors are urged to submit both hard and soft copies of the data to the ministry by March 12, 2024.

The lack of electricity in many schools in Kenya poses limitations, particularly in subjects such as computer studies that depend on power. Additionally, schools without electricity often face security challenges. Despite the prevalent issue, accurate data on the number of unconnected schools has been unavailable.

Historically, the rural electrification agency focused on connecting secondary schools, with 6,530 schools linked to electricity by June 2013. Subsequent efforts aimed to connect both secondary and primary schools, with significant progress reported by June 2016. However, the precise number of schools lacking electricity remained unknown.

As of 2019, data from the MoE indicated that there are 10,487 secondary schools in Kenya. The initiative seeks to address these disparities, ensuring that all schools have access to electricity for enhanced educational opportunities and security.