NAIROBI, Kenya-Student leaders and school administrators will gain a direct link to government security officers under a new national mediation framework targeting unrest, drug abuse and political violence in learning institutions.
The government on Monday launched the Kenya National Mediation Hub, which will connect more than 30,000 university, TVET, college and school-based mediation hubs to National Government Administration Officers and other state agencies.
The hub, domiciled at the University of Nairobi’s Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, will allow institutions to report emerging threats and resolve grievances through dialogue before they escalate.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said student leaders and administrators were already participating in sub-county security committee meetings and would now be formally incorporated into security decision-making.
“For the first time, the voice of students will be at the table where decisions about their safety are made,” Murkomen said.
The ministry is developing a multi-agency framework to institutionalise the Jukwaa la Wasomi model, with the process expected to be completed within two weeks.
Murkomen announced the plan while presiding over the graduation of Certified Professional Mediators trained under the Jukwaa la Wasomi Mediation and Preventive Security Training Programme.
He said the mediators would help combat drugs and substance abuse, promote cohesion and encourage civil political debate as Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election.
The Interior CS also warned that some politicians were recruiting students to cause violence at political events.
“Unfortunately, some of them do so with the aim of turning some of our students into goons,” he said, urging the newly trained mediators to identify such efforts early and protect students from exploitation.
Higher Education and Research Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Inyangala said learning institutions must equip young people to resolve disagreements constructively.
She cited research indicating that 90 per cent of students had experienced violence either as victims or perpetrators, with women accounting for 65 per cent and men 35 per cent.
The Jukwaa la Wasomi programme is implemented by the Universities and Colleges Students’ Peace Association of Kenya through the Ministry of Interior and National Administration. Its partners include the Executive Office of the President and the ministries of Education and Health.
