Ruto orders safety audit of schools
President William Ruto has ordered an audit of compliance with safety standards and regulations in all schools.
President William Ruto has directed the Education and Interior ministries to conduct an audit of compliance with safety standards and regulations in all schools.
As a result, the Ministry of Education has announced that it is undertaking the first phase of the inspection of all public and private boarding schools to assess their level of compliance with safety standards. The inspection will be carried out by various government agencies.
The inspection comes in the wake of last week's fire that killed 21 learners at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County and a fresh wave of unrest in schools across the country. Various stakeholders have blamed the government for failing to enforce safety guidelines.
"The recent incident at Hillside Endarasha Academy, in which 21 innocent learners lost their lives as a result of a fire tragedy, has underscored the need for the government and school managers to firmly enforce school safety guidelines," Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said in a press statement.
The CS issued the statement at State House on Wednesday morning shortly after briefing President Ruto on the progress of investigations into the Nyeri incident. He was accompanied by Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, Interior PS Raymond Omollo and Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala.
During the meeting, Dr Ruto directed the Education and Interior ministries to ensure compliance with school boarding regulations and ordered the speedy completion of investigations into the Hillside fire tragedy.
In his statement, Mr Ogamba said the multi-sectoral inspection involves the Ministry of Health, Department of Public Works, county governments and the Red Cross.
The nationwide inspection has also been prompted by the recent spate of school fires that have hit a number of schools, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
"The inspection will provide an opportunity for the government to unearth reasons behind the recent spate of school fires and make appropriate recommendations to remedy the situation," he said.
Mr Ogamba noted that compliance with the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya is aimed at ensuring that all schools adhere to safety standards that provide a conducive environment for learners. The CS noted that some schools in the country have flouted safety guidelines, resulting in accidents and loss of lives and property.
The Office of the Auditor-General's 2020 audit on school fire preparedness revealed that many schools are ill-prepared to deal with fire emergencies.
“The implementation of fire safety measures put in place by the MoE has faced challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and limited training on fire safety preparedness,” the report reads.
Mr Ogamba said that the first phase of the inspection would be conducted in all boarding primary and junior schools in the country, while the second phase would cover secondary schools.
"Firm and decisive action will be taken against Ministry of Education officials, school administrators and managers found to have flouted the guidelines stipulated in the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya, in accordance with the Basic Education Act, 2013," Mr Ogamba said.
He also urged schools to make optimum use of the time left to prepare for the national examinations scheduled for the end of the third term. The examinations are the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.
Additional reporting by David Muchunguh
