In the wake of the recent tragic school fire that has shocked Kenyans, the Ministry of Education and learning institutions need to take responsibility for the safety of learners.
The recent loss of learners' lives in Nyeri's Hillside Endarasha Academy serves as a sad reminder of the critical need for continuous development and implementation of robust health and safety policies.
As we mourn, School administrators and policymakers in the education sector and beyond must reflect on the state of schools in Kenya and commit to avoiding a recurrence of such a tragic incident.
Sadly, we have been on this path before, starting with the Kyanguli Fire incident in 2001 and a number of other tragic incidents attributed to arson. The stark reality of poor safety standards has been a common thread in all the incidents and all too visible in all the recent incidents.
Indeed a few years ago, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu published a damning audit report that indicated inadequate fire safety preparedness in public schools. Sadly, this situation also prevails in private and mission schools bound by the Ministry of Education Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya (2008), which caters to fire safety, among other safety issues in schools.
This Manual was designed to ensure schools are well-prepared to handle fire incidents. The Ministry is also supposed to monitor and evaluate to ensure that schools implement measures for fire safety preparedness. The Office of the Auditor General (OAG), in the 2020 report, however, established that implementation of fire safety measures put in place by the MoE has faced a number of challenges, such as inadequate infrastructure, limited training on fire safety preparedness, and insufficient guidance and counselling in the schools. Consequently, there was inadequate fire safety preparedness in all 42 schools sampled in the OAG Audit.
In his Presidential Proclamation last Friday, President William Ruto was clear that the loss of children of tender years in such a manner is an unfathomable tragedy. To quote President Ruto, "The children who tragically perished were between the ages of 9 and 13, in Grades 4 to 8; far too young to have been snatched from us. Thus, this loss evokes a unique sense of anger, bitterness, sorrow and emptiness at the cruel twists of fate that extinguished seventeen lives before they had a chance to become the great Kenyan adults they were destined to be."
While we have to avoid a blame game, to prevent tragic incidents like school fires, players in the education sector must rededicate themselves to the call of duty. In addition to striving for academic excellence, we must unite in a common bond to guarantee student safety by proactively auditing and enhancing our occupational health and safety policies. For example, we should implement regular, comprehensive safety audits conducted by external experts to evaluate the effectiveness of our current protocols. Besides acquiring firefighting equipment and training all school stakeholders in fire safety protocols, we must maintain basic standards, including identifying clearly labelled fire assembly points and evacuation maps.
These audits should assess everything from fire alarm systems and evacuation routes to staff training and emergency response plans. Schools must also foster a safety culture by engaging the school community in safety drills and feedback sessions. We must also adopt guidance and counselling as a core component in academic delivery.
Updating safety protocols based on audit findings and real-life scenarios ensures they remain robust and practical. Investing in advanced fire detection technology and maintaining rigorous upkeep of fire safety equipment can further mitigate risks. Schools can create a secure environment that safeguards students and staff from preventable tragedies by prioritising safety and adapting to new challenges.
Furthermore, I urge the construction industry to play a significant role in ensuring the safety of educational environments. School Administrators can achieve this by incorporating safety features, such as steel doors, that can help contain fires and ensuring clear fire escape routes by shunning steel grilled windows in single-storey buildings or lower levels.
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Ensuring that there are living quarters for relevant adults within the student dorms also provides guidance for students in the case of an emergency within the dorm building.
Every learning institution must have a fully functioning Health and Safety Committee. These committees play a crucial role in the day-to-day management of health and safety risks, ensuring swift decision-making and risk mitigation as issues arise.
The pain is raw, and we must work to ensure that this country never experiences such a tragedy again.
I pray that the souls of the departed Hillside Endarasha Primary School students may rest in eternal peace and that the almighty lord will comfort their friends and family, teachers and community.
Mr Khaemba, a Director of Nova Pioneer Schools, is a former headmaster of Alliance High School and founding Dean of the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, and is widely regarded as one of Africa's leading educators.
