KENYA: Schools Shut Down As Teachers Go On Strike In Kenya

Kenya's education ministry ordered all schools to shut on Friday because of a three-week teachers' strike over pay in the east African country.

The Supreme Court ruled in August that state teachers should get a pay rise of at least 50%, but the government said they do not have the money to comply and refused. The teachers then went on strike.

"Tension has been building up among learners, who have been left idle under the care of very few teachers... some incidents of insecurity in schools have been reported," the ministry of education said in a statement.

"In order to safeguard the security of the learners, staff and school property, and thus address the concerns of parents and other key stakeholders, the ministry has revised the term dates for a closure."

Kenya's annual school year officially began on August 31, but many schools never opened due to the strike. National exams are due to begin in October.