News on Friday that saw 17 pupils lose their lives to a fire at a school in Nyeri was received with overwhelming shock across Kenya.
Kenyans in a show of empathy sent their condolences but at the same time, called for more accountability.
Leading Kenyans in the call for a review of structures at Kenyan boarding schools, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akelo Misori argued that such tragedies can be prevented but a lack of enough resources makes it difficult to conduct inspections and enforce compliance in schools.
"The time has come for Kenyans to rethink the place of boarding schools in this country," the Secretary General commented after the incident.
He was not alone in this line of thinking as Kenyans questioned whether enough is done to schools comply with safety standards.
"There should be a crackdown in all boarding school to ensure all safety measures are implemented. Such tragedy shouldn’t be happening in 2024 surely," one Kenyan commented online.
One mother, making her voice heard online called on her peers to take charge and make personal effort of inspecting schools where their children study.
" How schools treat parents is parallel to how parents present themselves," she reminded those with children.
Kenyans particularly expressed their disenchantment with reports that dormitories at some schools are locked at night while pupils and students are sleeping.
This seems to be a trend as a number of Kenyans confirmed through their bitter experiences at boarding schools.
"Teachers behave like prison officers and kids are treated like inmates. Then dormitories are locked at night like cells, food is horrible and no expression is allowed," one person lamented.
Contributing to the debate was one Kenyan who revealed that he had been a volunteer when the infamous Kyanguli fire broke out at a school in Machakos County in 2001 killing 67 students.
"The morning after the fire, we went to pick up bodies. I removed severed limbs of kids that tried to escape through the roof. The dormitory door had been chained from outside"
Meanwhile, Kenyans sustained calls for a comprehensive review of safety and security protocols at Kenyan schools.
