The National Assembly Education Committee has asked the Ministry of Education to draft explicit rules for handling student misconduct after reports of increasing violence in schools.

Committee chair Julius Melly, representing Tinderet, highlighted that Clause 19 of the Basic Education Bill, 2026, protects learners from harsh punishment but fails to specify how schools should respond to violent behaviour.

Melly warned that teachers are facing attacks, including physical assaults and incidents where students have set fire to peers, with no clear disciplinary recourse under current legislation.

Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa of the State Department for Basic Education responded that the Cabinet Secretary for Education must issue regulations covering all aspects of student discipline, including suspension criteria.

Ololtuaa cited Clause 19, subsections 2 and 3, which prohibit corporal punishment and cruel treatment, emphasizing that new regulations should align with these protections while addressing safety concerns.

Professor Collins Odote, chair of the Council of Legal Education, supported the call for clearer rules, describing the existing discipline framework as ineffective and in need of reform.

The committee also raised questions about the planned conversion of the School Equipment Production Unit into a Government‑Owned Enterprise, seeking assurances that schools will continue to receive affordable learning materials.

The Teachers Service Commission, represented by Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei, backed the registration clause for basic education institutions but opposed proposals to merge several teachers’ colleges into branches of the Kenya School of Education.

The committee’s engagement with stakeholders, including the Kenya Medical Training College and the Higher Education Loans Board, will continue on 6 November 2026.