Why lobby wants State to restore Edu-Afya

A leading education rights lobby has urged the government to reinstate the Edu-Afya student medical insurance scheme.

The lobby says recent learner deaths reported in schools could have been prevented if prompt medical care had been available.

The Elimu Bora Working Group made the call during a press briefing at the Kenya Human Rights Commission offices in Nairobi.

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The group said school administrations in some cases may have delayed taking learners to hospital over concerns about who would foot the medical bills.

“Any minute lost during an emergency can mean the difference between life and death. You can even bring something better, but start with what was there and was working,” said Boaz Waruku, a policy expert with the Elimu Bora Working Group.

Edu-Afya was a state-supported health insurance programme for public secondary school students launched in May 2018 through collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).

The programme provided comprehensive medical cover for learners registered under the National Educational Management Information System (NEMIS), covering outpatient, inpatient, dental and eye care services without upfront payment at accredited facilities.

It was discontinued on December 31, 2023 as the government transitioned to the new Social Health Insurance (SHIF) financing framework under the Social Health Authority (SHA).

Children are still being covered through household registration under the new health insurance system, but critics argue the transition has left learners vulnerable during medical emergencies compared to the earlier dedicated student cover.

Among its other demands, the Elimu Bora Working Group called on the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to develop and fully implement a comprehensive national learner safety and emergency response framework and institute mandatory continuous training in first aid and basic life support and enforce clear national regulations on supervision standards and timelines for hospital referrals.

The group also demanded independent and transparent investigations into all recent learner deaths and accountability where negligence is established, insisting that learner safety must be treated as a national priority rather than a recurring afterthought.

The lobby said it was deeply saddened and outraged by the continued deaths of learners in schools, tragedies that raise profound concerns about safety, supervision, emergency preparedness and institutional accountability.

The country, officials said, appears not to have learnt from past disasters.

“Even after the tragic fire at Endarasha Hillside Academy in 2024, which exposed serious failures in compliance and oversight, it is evident that critical lessons were not learnt,” the statement said.

It added that the recent deaths reported in multiple institutions point to a disturbing and recurring trend of negligence and weak enforcement of safety standards in schools.

The organisation listed several recent cases, including Moses Joseph Onyoni, a Grade 9 learner at Moi Comprehensive School who collapsed in class and was pronounced dead on arrival at Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Samwel Munyao, a Grade 10 student who died after being run over by a faulty school water truck within the school compound; and Brenda Akinyi of Njoro Girls High School, whose family was contacted only after her health had worsened.

It also cited the drowning of two learners at River Tana during a school activity under reported teacher supervision.

The death of Consolata Nduku, a Form 3 learner in Machakos, Brian Sifuna, a Form 3 student at Segero Adventist School who died after allegedly ingesting a toxic chemical and Jimmy Anaro, a Form 3 student at a school in Lari constituency who succumbed after complaining of chest pains.

“This persistent failure to uphold legally mandated protections is a systemic breakdown that demands urgent accountability and decisive corrective action by the government,” the group said.

It questioned why learners are repeatedly being pronounced dead on arrival at hospitals and whether school heads and teachers are adequately trained to handle medical emergencies.

“Every parent entrusts a child to school with the legitimate expectation of safety, care and protection. No parent should receive a call that their child has lost their life due to a delayed response, poor supervision, or negligence,” the statement said.

The lobby cited provisions of the Basic Education Act of 2013, noting that compliance with occupational health and safety standards is a mandatory precondition for licensing and continued operation of schools.

It pointed to Section 82(2)(d), which requires proof of safe and compliant premises prior to registration, and Section 59(d), which imposes an ongoing statutory obligation upon boards of management to uphold occupational safety requirements.

It also referenced section 50(2) of the Basic Education regulations requiring boarding institutions to provide a qualified nurse, a guard and adequate adult supervision.

The lobby group maintained that strengthening emergency medical response systems in schools would help prevent more incidents in future.

It wants the President and Education Cabinet Secretary to take full responsibility for recent learner deaths, saying they bear the greatest responsibility in ensuring learner safety.