All schools in Kenya will remain closed until next January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Final year exams, usually taken in October and November, have also been cancelled.

Accrding to the Education Minister, George Magoha, students would repeat a year as schools had closed in mid-March, three months after the school calendar had begun.

But colleges and universities are to reopen in September if they abide by strict guidelines.

“The 2020 school calendar year will be considered lost due to Covid-19 restrictions,” Mr Magoha said.

This would apply to public and private schools, he added.

The government-run Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has been providing school programmes via the radio, television and online since students stopped going to classes in March.

But while some have been able to cover the syllabus using these resources, there are many others who do not have access to the technology.

Mr Magoha said his ministry would explore how to make online learning accessible to all pupils.

On Monday, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a phased reopening of the country, including the lifting of travel restrictions in the main cities of Nairobi and Mombasa.

However, he did extend a nationwide overnight curfew – from 21:00 to 04:00 local time – for a further 30 days.

Kenyan authorities so far have confirmed 8,067 COVID-19 infections with 164 deaths, according to data compiled by the US-based John Hopkins University.