NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 25 — The Ministry of Education has commissioned an audit of all boarding schools to assess compliance to safety standards following 107 school fire incidents and 239 unrests since January.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos revealed that out of the 107 fire incidents, 36 have occurred in the third term and mainly targeted dormitories.
“Since January, 2024 to 16th September, 2024, there have been 107 fire incidents in our schools, with 36 of these occurring in this Third Term,” Migos told lawmakers on Tuesday.
“The fires have mainly targeted dormitories. The total number of schools affected by unrest since the beginning of 2024 stands at 239,” he said.
The audit will inform necessary action on both the schools and the officers running them the cases of non-compliance.
Strained relationships and poor communication between school administrators and students, interference by local communities, examination anxiety, fear, drug, alcohol abuse and general indiscipline and peer pressure have emerged as likely triggers in preliminary assessements.
“Each incident [is] investigated and dealt with according to the attendant circumstances. However, generally we have adopted a multi-stakeholder approach, involving the local leadership and the surrounding community, to address these challenges,” the Education CS.
The ministry has also madated an investigation on the tragic fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy that left 21 learners dead to determine the school’s compliance with the requisite safety standards.
Appropriate action
“We have formed a committee to take appropriate action, if this internal self-assessment reveals a failure on the part of our officers,” CS Migos said.
“Nineteen learners died in the fire, having [been] burnt beyond recognition, 2 learners succumbed to injuries while in hospitals. The 19 learners burnt beyond recognition [were] identified through DNA at the Naro Moru hospital,” he added.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) opened a probe on the matter working with partners und6er a multi-agency and inter-governmental framework involving Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior and National Administration.
Tinderet MP Julius Melly expressed that it was unfortunate that inspection of schools has not been going on for sometime leading to the unfortunate accidents.
“The inspection of schools is wanting, Mr CS you need to do something about this,” he said.
Kiambu Woman Representative Ann Wamuratha raised concerns over the emergency preparedness in schools.
“We visited this school (Endarasha) and I can tell you Mr CS, this school does not have equipment at all, it is in a bad state,” Wamuratha said.
Migos elaborated that the ministry had enriched the 2008 Manual on safety standards to ensure it addresses any emerging issues.
The Manual prescribes the safety standards and procedures that schools must adhere to. It sets out the roles of school administrators and teachers in relation to the learner, when the learner is within the custody of the school.
“The Manual requires each school to have a School Safety Sub-Committee coordinated by the Head of the School. Paragraph 5.2 of the Manual requires the Sub-Committee to monitor and evaluate the various aspects of School Safety with a view to enhancing school safety,” the Education CS said.
Source: capitalfm
