Schools are meant to be sanctuaries of learning, growth, and protection. Institutions like Alliance Girls’ High School symbolize academic excellence and safety for Kenya’s brightest minds. Yet, recent revelations from such institutions have exposed a disturbing undercurrent grooming by trusted male teachers. This subtle yet dangerous form of abuse is part of a growing national crisis threatening the very fabric of our education system.
Grooming, unlike overt abuse, is a calculated process of psychological manipulation. It starts innocently special favours, mentorship, or praise and gradually escalates to inappropriate messages and distorted relationships. By the time abuse occurs, victims are emotionally entangled, often feeling complicit or ashamed, making it difficult to speak out.
While Kenya’s legal framework, including the Children Act (2022) and the Sexual Offences Act (2006), aims to protect minors, grooming remains hard to prosecute. It lacks physical evidence, and predators hide behind “kind gestures” and “private mentorship.” There is an urgent need for clearer legal definitions and mechanisms to address this nuanced abuse especially where the victim is over 18 but still in a position of vulnerability.
Awareness is another critical gap. Learners are warned about strangers but rarely educated on the dangers posed by trusted adults. Parents must engage in open conversations about boundaries, consent, and healthy relationships. Meanwhile, schools should embed comprehensive education on all forms of gender-based violence, including non-physical abuse, within the curriculum.
The culture of internal handling of abuse cases to “protect school reputation” must end. A national protocol is needed one that mandates multi-agency responses involving the Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission, DCI, and child protection services. Such collaboration would guarantee swift action, emotional support for the survivor, and accountability for perpetrators.
The grooming cases emerging from our schools are a sobering call to action. If we are to preserve the sanctity of our learning institutions, we must collectively build a wall of protection around every child. It truly takes a village to raise and protect a child. Let us rise to this responsibility.
