By Perez Karisa, June 23, 2026
More than 7,300 secondary school principals from across the country have converged in Mombasa for the 49th Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) Annual National Conference, with rising cases of student unrest and arson attacks emerging as one of the key issues dominating discussions.
The week-long conference, being held at the Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa, has brought together school administrators, education stakeholders and development partners to deliberate on challenges facing the education sector and strategies aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework.
Addressing delegates during the opening session, KESSHA National Chairman Willie Kuria described the second term of the 2026 academic calendar as one of the most challenging periods for school heads, citing an alarming increase in student strikes and destruction of school property.
Kuria said principals have had to contend with repeated incidents of unrest, including cases of dormitory fires and vandalism, which have disrupted learning and strained resources in many institutions.
In response to the growing crisis, school heads are proposing tougher measures against students found culpable of destroying school property. Among the proposals under consideration is a recommendation that the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) deregister affected candidates or defer their examination eligibility by one year.
The association argues that harsher penalties would act as a deterrent and help curb the destruction that has become increasingly common in schools across the country.
KESSHA officials have also recommended that learners who fail to adapt to boarding school environments be transferred to day schools, where parents and guardians can exercise closer supervision and guidance.
The proposal comes amid concerns that some learners struggle with boarding school life, contributing to indiscipline and behavioral problems.
School heads, however, pushed back against assertions by the Ministry of Education that the unrest is solely a consequence of weak management by principals.
Kuria maintained
