National

School reopening: Ministry blocks access to unsafe bridges, roads

A flooded section of the Tana River Bridge, where flooding led the Kenya National Highways Authority to close part of the Garsen-Witu-Lamu Road on May 11, 2024. (Photo: /KeNHA)

By Lucy Mumbi | Sunday, May 12, 2024

Traffic police officers have been deployed to critical highways to monitor traffic violations such as speeding, overloading, and the use of unroadworthy vehicles.

The Interior ministry has prohibited vehicle access to bridges and roads marked as unsafe ahead of school reopening on Monday, to prevent accidents.

The directive came on Sunday as learners prepared to return to school for the second term.

Keep reading

In a statement, the ministry led by Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced that traffic police officers had been deployed to critical highways to monitor traffic violations such as speeding, overloading, and the use of unroadworthy vehicles.

"The government is continuously monitoring the flood situation in the country and will ensure the safe and efficient movement of learners, parents, and teachers as the schools reopen for the second term tomorrow," it said.

"Adequate security measures have been put in place in all bus termini and other strategic locations where the National Police Service has deployed adequately to ensure enhanced movement of vehicles and persons travelling, especially schoolchildren," it added.

The ministry further said that schools that were heavily impacted by the heavy rains and flooding, which displaced thousands nationwide, would reopen later to allow national and county multi-agency teams to repair facilities.

Parents were urged to ensure the safety of their children to and from school between 6 am and 6 pm, in close collaboration with the multi-agency teams and the institutions' management.

Kindiki's ministry further said that security and intelligence committees had taken the lead in monitoring fragile ecosystems like rivers, dams, and other water bodies that are dangerous to communities.

As such, all chiefs and assistant chiefs were directed to keep watch of river and bridge crossings, educate the public on hazardous areas and curtail activities such as swimming in flooded zones.

"The National Flood Emergency Response Command Centre will keep updating on areas that can be vulnerable and interfere with children going to school," read the statement.

The ministry reiterated the need to heed government advisories, including the Kenya Meteorological Department's weather forecasts, the Education ministry's safe reopening guidelines, the Health ministry's instructions on water and food-borne diseases and public notices on the conditions of roads and railways, as well as air and water transport.

It have 0800721571 as the toll-free number for reporting emergencies. .