Nairobi County directive to allow children to use school playgrounds on holidays

A playground in Nairobi. Nairobi City County Assembly passed a motion allowing children to access school playgrounds during the August holiday. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The MCA blamed the headteachers for hiring out the school fields to be used for events such as weddings.
  • He said the increased land grabbing of public land has also contributed to lack of playing space for children.

Headteachers in Nairobi may be forced to allow children to use playgrounds during the August holiday which start Friday.

This follows a motion adopted by the Nairobi City County Assembly allowing children to access school playgrounds during the holiday.

Most of the children in Nairobi, like in other urban centres, do not have enough space to play as their parents have rented apartments or houses whose compounds do not have playing grounds.

While tabling the motion in the assembly last week, Laini Saba Ward Representative David Kitavi said the society is raising children who become "self-centred as they are always indoors".

“You will find that the children of nowadays have become introverts as they spend most of the times indoors playing with play station and watching TV," said Mr Kitavi.

The MCA said construction of buildings in Nairobi is leaving no space for the children to play.

He said the increased land grabbing of public land has also contributed to lack of playing space for children.

Mr Kitavi said the ban on holiday tuition has made it difficult for parents to watch children and thus the need to have places where they can engage in recreational activities.

The MCA blamed the headteachers for hiring out the school fields to be used for events such as weddings.

“Head teachers have turned children playgrounds to cash cows as they rent them out for weddings and other events, it is very wrong,” said Mr Kitavi.

Speaking to Nation on Monday by telephone, Mr Kitavi said that the implementation committee will meet this week to deliberate on how the playgrounds will be made accessible.