At least seven public secondary schools in Machakos County have been closed indefinitely in the last week after school fires triggered student unrest.
Mumbuni Boys in Machakos Town sub-county was closed indefinitely on Saturday after a fire broke out and torched part of the school.
Students were released following a long night of unrest on Friday that led to property destruction.
They reportedly became unruly as they pushed the school administration to let them go home for a weekend. Several window pales were broken and three learners were injured during the chaos. They were treated at a local dispensary and discharged.
Students’ unrest has become rampant in most parts of the country with at least nine schools in Makueni County being closed indefinitely.
The schools affected in Machakos County include Mumbuni Boys, Muthetheni Girls, Masii Girls, Machakos School, Nyayo Girls, Masinga Boys and Mtituni S. A secondary.
Dormitories were razed in Lukenya Girls Centre of Excellence, Nyayo Girls and Masii Girls secondary schools in Athi River, Kalama and Mwala sub-counties respectively, while the other schools reported learners’ unrest.
Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi urged the government to ensure the implementation of laws regulating boarding schools.
He spoke while addressing the press in Machakos town on Saturday.
He sent condolences to parents, teachers, learners and the entire Kieni constituency community for losing 21 children to an inferno at the Hillside Endarasha Academy.
“It’s sad to have lost this big number of pupils, the government should take responsibility. School managers should be serious about their work. Someone must have slept on the job,” Mwangangi said.
Machakos Town MP Caleb Mule called on the government to create a task force that will go around all secondary schools in Kenya to assess their safety.
Mule said the task force would provide recommendations on addressing the recent surge in arson cases.
He recommended the construction of dormitories with more doors and windows to provide easier escape routes for students in case of fires.
He referenced past incidents, such as the 2001 arson at Kyanguli Secondary School in Machakos, which claimed sixty-seven lives.
Mule besieged learners to refrain from acts of indiscipline that could distress parents.
He implored learners who feel disgruntled with school issues to confide in a trusted person, such as a teacher, rather than resorting to destructive actions like burning schools, which have caused unbearable pain.
