Schools officially re-opened on Monday for first term in the new academic year after lengthy and busy December holidays.
However, a spot check by this writer on Monday showed that few pupils reported for learning on the opening day, with many schools reportedly recording low attendance.
The populous Olympic Primary School at the heart of Kibera slum was not an exception.
When this writer visited the school on Monday morning, many classes had only a handful of pupils.
"As you can see, many pupils are absent. Most classrooms are hardly half full," Mr Christopher Ochieng, the headteacher said.
He, however, said he expects the attendance to rise steadily as days go by.
He urged the learners to report back to schools to start the new term.
The situation was not different at a nearby Joy Academy School which had less that 50 pupils absent from the over 200 pupils enrolled at the school.
The head of the institution Mrs Agnes Moraa is also expecting the number to increase by next week.
One pupil who schools at Olympic but was absent said he only remembered that he was to go to school in the morning, and claimed that his uniform was dirty.