Kenya witnessed a number of unfortunate incidences in the
education sector this year that left the country in shock and some parents
mourning the untimely deaths of their children.
At some point, reports of classrooms and dormitories being
engulfed in fire mostly through suspected acts of arson became a daily
occurrence.
The incidences were sporadic and spontaneous; no region was
safe.
September marked the epitome of the fires, the deadliest of them
all being at the Endarasha Hillside Academy in Nyeri County where a dormitory
inferno killed 21 boys.
At least 27 others were injured and taken to the hospital by first responders, mostly the local community.
The fire reportedly started at around 11 pm on the night of September
5, triggered by what witnesses told police was a burst bulb at the entrance of
the building that housed 156 Grade 4-8 boys, aged between nine and 13.
The incident prompted the government to order an audit of all primary schools in the country.
In circular to regional, county and subcounty directors of education dated November 27, the government ordered the closure of boarding sections of 340 public and private primary schools which the audit found failed to meet safety standards.
Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang said the schools should not reopen their boarding sections at the onset of Term 1 on January 6 unless they submit evidence of compliance with the provisions of the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya (2008) and the Registration Guidelines for Basic Education Institutions (2021).
"The purpose of this circular, therefore, is to direct you to close down the boarding sections of all schools within your jurisdiction that were not approved as per the attached list,” Kipsang told the education directors.
Meanwhile, fire incidents were reported also in secondary schools this year with one coming just two days after the Endarasha tragedy.
A fire at Isiolo Girls High School, in Isiolo county left at least three students injured, Red Cross said.
After days of relative calm, tragedy struck again almost in a coordinated style.
On September 12, at least 10 incidents of school fires were
reported across the country resulting in extensive property damage.
The fires affected schools in three regions - Rift Valley,
Eastern and Central region - but police said no casualties were reported.
Three secondary schools were affected in the Eastern region.
An old dormitory used as a store was set ablaze at Isiolo
Boys High School, while fire at the Mbooni High School in Makueni caused damage
to several buildings.
Elsewhere, fire destroyed two dormitories at Buriuri Boys
High School in Meru, at Katulani Mixed Secondary School, while students at
Kalimani Mixed Secondary School in Kitui went on a rampage, destroying school
property.
Fire was also reported at Wami Boys Secondary School in
Isiolo while an attempted arson at Mukurweini Boys High School in Nyeri was
thwarted by authorities.
Several other schools across Machakos county also reported
fire incidences but no casualties were reported.
At Katoloni Mixed High School, at least 20 students were
treated with varied degrees of burns after a fire razed two dormitories on
September 15.
On September 24, nine students were arrested for allegedly
starting a fire that burnt down a dormitory housing Form 3 students at Makutano
Boys’ High School in Mwala Subcounty.
On October 12, a dawn fire razed a dormitory housing 165
students at Muvuti Secondary School.
County firefighters responded in good time and stopped the fire from spreading further but not
after the inferno had already swept through the dormitory and destroyed student
property.
Soon after the fire incidents cooled down, tragedy struck again as candidates were sitting their KCSE examination.
On the evening of Saturday, November 9, just after students
at Shiners Boys High School in Nakuru had had their supper, a fight broke out
in one of the cubicles.
Teachers responded to noises and screams and arrived to find
one of the boys sprawled on the floor, bleeding.
He had been stabbed during a fight and the suspected culprit
had already gone into hiding.
“By the time we were arriving at the dormitory, one of our
students by the name Ngugi Muciiri, had already been stabbed in the lower
abdomen and even the intestines were out,” School Principal John Mwangi
recounted the incident to the media.
Four boys were arrested as suspects in the incident.
The suspects had allegedly been suspended over disciplinary
issues and on resumption for their national exams, found their personal items
destroyed.
They reportedly suspected that the victim was responsible for the misdemeanor; an argument ensued, tempers flared and in the melee, he was stabbed.
