The government has taken the "100% transition" policy from the boardroom to the living room. Starting this week, Ministry of Interior officials, in coordination with the Ministry of Education, are conducting aggressive door-to-door inspections to flush out learners who have failed to report to Junior Secondary and Senior School.

This operation is not a request; it is a raid on truancy. Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs, and Nyumba Kumi elders have been mobilized with a clear mandate: locate every missing student and ensure they are in a classroom, not a farm or a market. The move comes amid reports of thousands of students lingering at home due to lack of fees or parental negligence.

"No Child Left Behind"

The Ministry has indicated that officers will convene meetings with residents, but the velvet glove hides an iron fist. Parents found deliberately keeping children at home face arrest and prosecution under the Children’s Act. "Poverty is a challenge, but it is not an excuse to deny a child their constitutional right to education," a county commissioner warned.

The focus is particularly on the transition from Grade 6 to Grade 7 (Junior Secondary) and Form 4 leavers joining tertiary institutions, where drop-out rates have spiked. The government is also targeting cultural barriers in areas where early marriage and FGM still threaten the girl child.

• The Scope: The crackdown is nationwide but will be intensified in counties with the lowest transition rates. It is a logistical juggernaut, relying on data from the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).
• The Challenge: While the government pushes bodies into classrooms, headteachers are crying out about congestion and lack of resources. Sending a child to school is one thing; teaching them is another.

A Week of Action

For parents hoping to fly under the radar, the window has closed. The knock on the door this week might not be a visitor; it could be the state coming for your child’s future.

The directive is simple: if you have a school-going child, they better be in school. The government is no longer asking nicely.