Kenya minister sorry for abrupt school closures

Kenya’s Education Minister has apologised over the controversial and abrupt decision to close schools early, but says it was a "necessary pain" to ensure that preparations for next week’s general elections go on unimpeded.

Hundreds of primary and secondary schools are normally used as polling stations in Kenya.

"I take full responsibility, please try and understand that I love the children and I will be the last person to put their life or anything at risk," George Magoha said.

However, the decision caught many schools and parents unawares leading to chaotic scenes as parents scrambled to pick their children from schools at short notice.

Road transport was hugely affected in the capital, Nairobi, and other main towns as students were forced to leave school early.

Schools were originally scheduled to close for the mid-term break at the end of this week.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

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