Asbestos roofing at a primary school in Nakuru City on April 2, 2025.

📋 Breaking It Down

High school principals are in a dilemma over a directive to remove and dispose of asbestos roofing materials, which poses a health risk to the students and staff with the continued deterioration of the roofing.

Chief principals of Mangu High School, Kenya High School, Alliance High School, Limuru Girls School, Starehe Boys Centre and School, and Kabare Girls High School say they require huge finances, face disposal challenges, and lengthy approvals from the environmental watchdog to reroof century old colonial buildings.

Appearing separately before the National Assembly’s Public Investment Committee on Education and Governance, the principals said disposal of the asbestos materials is the greatest challenge.

📌 What You Need to Know

The principals appeared before the committee chaired by Luanda MP Dick Maungu to respond to audit queries for financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25.

Read:   MPs give public institutions one year to remove asbestos roofing

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu had, among other issues, flagged the use of asbestos roofing materials in a number of schools.

Ms Gathungu found that Mangu High School has 16 staff houses, two laboratories, 14 classrooms, 10 dormitories, three laundries, one library, two workshops, one dining hall, and one administration block with asbestos roofing.

She said the Fourth Schedule of the Environmental Management and Coordination (Waste Management) Regulations, 2006 classifies materials containing asbestos as hazardous and potentially carcinogenic.

“Physical verification of the school's infrastructure conducted in March, 2026 however, revealed 16 staff houses, two laboratories, 14 classrooms, 10 dormitories, three laundries, one library, two workshops, one dining hall, and one administration block with asbestos roofing,” Ms Gathungu said.

📰 Source: Nation Africa