By the NGOs.ke Editorial Team. Updated 27 October 2026.
The International Day against Violence and Bullying at School falls on Thursday 5 November 2026, and in Kenya it lands in the middle of a national inquiry into school unrest. UNESCO’s 2026 theme is “Every learner safe and well: From promise to practice.” The Education Cabinet Secretary has just given a multi-stakeholder task team 90 days to examine why schools keep burning, and bullying is on its list. For NGOs working with children, this is a rare moment when evidence from the field can reach the people writing the recommendations.
What is the 2026 school violence and bullying day about?
UNESCO marks the day on the first Thursday of November each year. This year’s theme centres on safety and wellbeing, and on closing the gap between promises made on paper and what learners experience in classrooms and dormitories.
The global picture, as summarised by UN News in November 2024, is stark:
- One in three students reports being bullied in the previous month.
- Nearly one in three reports being physically attacked at least once during the school year.
- Cyberbullying affects about 10 per cent of children.
- Only 32 countries, or 16 per cent of states, have a comprehensive legal framework on school violence and bullying.
Why does this matter in Kenya right now?
On 27 May 2026 a fire in a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, killed 16 students and injured 79 others, according to reported accounts. Police have treated it as suspected arson and questioned students. The Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Ogamba, cited preliminary findings of overcrowding and a locked exit door, and dissolved the school’s board of management. The cause is still being determined, so no one should speculate about motive.
Weeks of unrest followed across other schools. In response, a Gazette notice dated 23 October 2026 created the Multi-Stakeholder Task Team on Unrest in Schools, chaired by Professor Peter Mulwa Mbithi, with the Ministry of Education as secretariat.
What will the school unrest task team examine?
Reporting on the notice says the team has 90 days, so a final report is due around late January 2027 (our own arithmetic from the notice date), with monthly progress reports to the Cabinet Secretary. Its mandate includes:
| Area | What the team will look at |
|---|---|
| Causes | Immediate and underlying causes, compared by region, school category, gender, age, disability and boarding status |
| Past reports | Whether earlier task force recommendations were ever implemented, and what blocked them |
| Safety | Discipline, management, emergency preparedness and boarding school compliance |
| Drivers | Social media, exam stress, food, drugs and alcohol, bullying, gender-based violence, counselling and mental health support |
| Costs | Uniform costs, school fees, capitation grants and the cost of education |
| Output | Legal, policy and administrative changes, with a costed implementation plan |
How common is bullying in Kenyan schools?
Kenyan figures are older and patchy. The Ministry of Education’s 2018 to 2022 sector plan, as reported by the Nation, put bullying at 57 per cent, meaning students bullied on one or more days in a month, and noted a 2017 survey led by the US Centers for Disease Control that ranked Kenya among the African countries with the highest levels. The same report tied school violence to heavy workloads, peer pressure, weak early-warning skills among staff and thin guidance and counselling. We could not find a newer national figure, which is itself a gap NGOs can help fill.
What can NGOs do around 5 November?
- Feed evidence to the task team. Anonymised referral data, counselling caseloads and learner surveys from your partner schools are more useful than general statements. Ask the Ministry’s secretariat how submissions are received, since we did not find a published channel.
- Check your own safeguarding. If you run school clubs, mentorship or feeding programmes, your safeguarding policy should name bullying and cyberbullying, and staff should know the reporting route.
- Support learner voice. Peer-led clubs and anonymous reporting boxes work only if adults act on what comes through them.
- Fund counselling, not just awareness. Assemblies raise awareness for a day. Trained guidance teachers and referral links to health and child-protection services change outcomes.
- Link up with child protection partners. Our child protection guide lists the coordination routes, and our mental health guide covers psychosocial support.
Frequently asked questions
When is the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School in 2026?
It is on Thursday 5 November 2026, the first Thursday of November, with the theme “Every learner safe and well: From promise to practice.”
What is the Kenya school unrest task team?
It is a multi-stakeholder team appointed by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba through a Gazette notice dated 23 October 2026 to investigate the causes of school unrest over 90 days.
Does the task team cover bullying?
Yes. Bullying, gender-based violence, social media, exam stress and counselling support are all named in its mandate.
What is the global bullying rate among students?
UN News reports that about one in three students has been bullied in the previous month, and about 10 per cent of children experience cyberbullying.
Where can I find UNESCO’s guidance?
UNESCO publishes resources on its international day page.
Sources: UNESCO day page; UN News, November 2024; Eastleigh Voice explainer on the task team; Nation report on the Ministry of Education sector plan; reported accounts of the 27 May 2026 Gilgil fire. Check official notices for the latest developments.
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