- St. Peters Clevers Boys Secondary School, Kithuki and Maiani Boys Secondary School were closed after dormitories were razed down on Thursday night.
- The public schools are located in the Kathonzweni and Mukaa sub-counties respectively.
Image: GEORGE OWITI
Two schools were on Friday closed indefinitely following night fires in Makueni County.
St. Peters Clevers Boys Secondary School, Kithuki and Maiani Boys Secondary School were closed after dormitories were burnt Thursday night.
The public schools are located in the Kathonzweni and Mukaa sub-counties respectively.
"The Makueni County Government's Fire Fighting Unit received a distress call at 7.13 pm on Thursday that a dormitory was on fire at St. Peters Clevers Boys secondary school Kithuki. The fire started at around 7.00 pm as per the school management," a source told the Star on Friday.
25 per cent of the dormitory that hosted 150 students was burnt.
Items reported to have been lost in the fire include 32 mattresses, 32 blankets, 16 double-decker beds and students' boxes.
Other personal items like clothes belonging to the boys were also reduced to ashes in the incident.
No casualties were reported since the fire broke out while students were in their evening preps.
The cause of the fire wasn't immediately established.
Another dormitory was also razed at Maiani Boys Secondary School the same night.
The incident happened hours after a night guard and student were arrested in connection to a fire breakout that razed a dormitory at Matiku secondary school in Nzau, Makueni County on Wednesday night.
The school was closed down indefinitely following the incident.
At least nine public secondary schools have been closed down indefinitely in Makueni County over the last two weeks.
The schools' closures were prompted by either students' unrest or after dormitories were razed.
They include Makueni Boys, Nziu Girls, Ngoto Boys, Kasikeu Boys, Kalulini Boys, St. Peters Clevers Boys secondary school Kithuki, Makindu Girls, Matuku secondary and Miiani Boys.
Makueni woman representative Rose Museo said as parents, they were worried about the high rates at which students are razing schools not only in Makueni but nationally.
"We as parents have started becoming worried. We have concerns on how children have started burning schools. Everywhere, you hear that children have burnt schools," Museo said.
She spoke during a CBO's, PWDs, youth and bodaboda empowerment programme event in Makindu Town on Thursday.
"This issue is a burden to parents and community at large. Parents are struggling to raise fees despite the high economy but if children go to school they burn dormitories. The government should look deeply into why children are torching schools. Why is there indiscipline?" Museo said.
Museo said it was saddening for children to be sent home after burning schools only to burden their already overwhelmed parents.
She told children to refrain from unruly behaviours and instead be calm as they focus on their education.
"Teachers should tell children the importance of protecting their schools because if they could have been burnt by other children, they could have not gotten the opportunity to learn," Museo said.
She said razing schools is taking development and the country backwards.