While the nation celebrates the academic triumph of the 2025 KCSE class, Nominated Senator Hamida Ali Kibwana has issued a sobering reminder: grades mean nothing if the students are not safe. In a fiery address to the Senate Standing Committee on Education, Kibwana warned that the "infrastructure of safety" in Kenyan schools is crumbling, threatening to reverse the gains of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

The Senator, who has been a vocal advocate for learner protection since the Mukumu Girls tragedy of 2023, argued that the fixation on mean scores has blinded stakeholders to the physical and psychological dangers lurking in dormitories and classrooms. "We are celebrating As, but are we checking the fire extinguishers?" she posed.

The "Mukumu" Shadow

Kibwana drew parallels to previous disasters where preventable hazards led to loss of life. She cited a confidential audit report indicating that 60% of boarding schools in rural counties lack compliant fire exits or functional sickbays. "A school should be a sanctuary, not a death trap," she told the committee.

• Food Safety: The Senator highlighted the rising cases of food poisoning in schools, attributed to poor storage and unvetted suppliers. She is proposing a National School Food Safety Bill that would mandate quarterly inspections of all school kitchens by public health officers.
• Mental Health: Beyond physical safety, Kibwana emphasized psychological safety. "The pressure to perform is creating a mental health crisis," she noted. She called for the mandatory employment of professional counselors in every secondary school, moving away from the "guidance and counseling teacher" model where overworked tutors double as therapists.
• Gender-Based Violence (GBV): As a champion for the girl child, Kibwana flagged the "silence" around sexual harassment in schools. She demanded that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) fast-track the deregistration of predators and that schools establish anonymous reporting channels for students.

The Policy Gap

The Senator criticized the Ministry of Education’s Quality Assurance and Standards (QAS) department for being reactive rather than proactive. "We only see inspectors after a tragedy," she said. Her proposed motion seeks to tie school capitation funds to safety compliance certification—essentially, "No Safety Certificate, No Money."

A Call to Parents

"Parents must stop asking 'what is the mean score?' and start asking 'is my child safe?'" Kibwana urged. As the 2026 academic year gathers momentum, her crusade is shifting the conversation from academic output to human input. For Senator Kibwana, the most important statistic in education is not the number of As, but the number of students who go home alive and whole.