NAIROBI, Kenya May 31 – National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has called on the Ministry of Education to conduct a nationwide crackdown on schools that have failed to comply with the safety measures prescribed by the government leading to lose of lives and property by infernos.
Speaking during a fundraising drive at Chekalini Comprehensive School in aid of PAG churches in Lugari constituency, Wetang’ula expressed concern that many school management teams have ignored the implementation of critical safety standards.
He stated that the Utumishi Academy fire tragedy, which claimed 16 young lives, should prompt intensified school inspections and firm action against institutions that disregard safety requirements.
He noted that it hurts for parents to loose their children through fire tragedies that could be avoided heading schools complied with the laid down safety protocols.
The Speaker asked the Education ministry to ensure there was a responsible person sleeping dormitories with students to help evacuated them incase of fire or other tragedies.
The Speaker’s remarks comes after Education CS Julie’s Ogamba revealed on May 29 that preliminary findings exposed serious safety lapses at the Academy in the wake of the deadly dormitory fire.
“The school did not adhere to the safety requirements as stipulated in The School Safety Manual and The Basic Education Regulations. In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked contrary to the prescribed safety requirements,” he said.
The Ministry of Education announced that eight students are being held for questioning over their alleged role in the planning and execution of a suspected arson attack at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School that left 16 students dead.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is also questioning two teachers after it emerged that they had been alerted by some learners about planned unrest but failed to take appropriate preventive action.
79 learners suffered injuries of varied degrees and seven of the injured learners are still in hospital undergoing treatment while the rest have been treated and discharged.
Seven were airlifted on Thursday from Gilgil and they are now being treated in Kenyatta National Hospital
