Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has come out strongly condemning the barring of Muslim girls from wearing Hijab while in schools.
Speaking in Nakuru on Thursday October 1,2026 during the commissioning of the Waqf Project, CS Duale maintained that no child should be discriminated due to their religion beliefs.
The CS added that no learner whatsoever should be denied education on account of lawful religious expression.
He called on School heads to uphold the constitution and the law.
In Kenya, individual schools have the authority to set their own dress codes, but the Supreme Court directed institutions to accommodate religious exemptions for items like the hijab.
In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that schools—including faith-sponsored public institutions—can determine their own dress codes. However, the court directed school boards to consult with parents and create rules that provide exemptions for students whose religious beliefs require specific clothing, such as the hijab.
The Ministry of Education and government officials maintain that learners should not be denied education or sent home due to lawful religious expression.
State schools generally permit the hijab, and recent debates have targeted instances where faith-based or public schools enforce strict uniform policies that exclude religious attire.
Tensions frequently arise in church-sponsored or religious-affiliated schools, where administrators argue that students implicitly agree to institutional rules and uniform standards upon enrollment.
Muslim leaders and human rights advocates argue that banning the hijab restricts freedom of worship (protected under Article 32 of the Constitution) and can lead to marginalized students dropping out.
