Two secondary schools in Kiambu County have been permanently shut down following the recent results of the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.
Ragia and Kiambogo secondary schools, located in Lari Constituency, were shut down after their disappointing performance in the 2024 KCSE exams. The poor results led to the closure of these institutions, raising concerns about educational standards in the institutions.
The performance was so poor that no new students enrolled at either school for 2025.
Lari Sub-county education officer Benjamin Muthengi confirmed the closure, revealing that some of the school facilities like classrooms have been turned into storage facilities, holding animal feeds and other items.
Science laboratories, have also remained dormant and apparatus left untouched since completion of practical examinations last year.
“The reason why the school (Ragia Secondary School) was closed was because of low enrollment. In January this year, the school did not receive any students,” he stated.
Education stakeholders and political leaders in Lari are advocating for a crisis meeting to discuss the possibility of merging Ragia and Kiambogo secondary schools in an effort to enhance the quality of education within the constituency.
“There is a conversation we are having with the community and if in agreement, we will send a formal request to the Ministry to have the two schools merged and convert one of the buildings to something else,” Lari MP Joseph Mburu said.
Ragia Secondary School, for example, had just 150 students from Form One to Form Four, spread across two classes per form.
This has led parents in the area to withdraw their children from the school, opting instead to transfer them to neighbouring institutions with larger student populations.
MP Mburu suggests that the schools’ poor academic performance may be a contributing factor to their current situation.
Local residents also criticize the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for the schools’ predicament, accusing the body of delaying teacher deployments and failing to ensure that teachers are adequately equipped to improve the schools’ academic performance.
