School failed safety test, disregarded tips

By FRANCIS NGIGE

The gruesome killing of two boys at Endarasha Boys Secondary School is an indictment of the institution’s management for failing to adhere to the laid down safety procedures.

Although investigation is yet to be concluded, the razed dormitory had all clear indications that the safety regulations to avert such a tragedy had not been followed to the letter.

The Fr Wambugu dormitory where the students met their untimely death had its windows fitted with grills and wire-mesh, which are outlawed in the safety manuals by the Ministry of Education.

Suspected Form One students are said to have doused the dormitory where 180 of their colleagues were sleeping with petrol before setting it on fire.

Though the majority of the students escaped the flames, the two boys were trapped inside and are suspected to have suffocated in fumes before burning to death.

Five students sustained burns and bruises during the incident that occurred at midnight.

The barring of the windows and other exits may have caused the deaths of the boys, initial investigation indicates.

The wire mesh on all the windows made it difficult for the students to have ample escape routes and had to rely on the four doors to run away from the fire.

Since sharing of beds is prohibited in schools, admissions should be tied to bed capacity, but it seems that this was not put into consideration.

Congestion

According to a Ministry of Public Works official involved in the investigation, the dormitory had a capacity to host 120 students, but had 180.

The official, who did not want to be named for fear of being seen to be discussing matters that are still under investigation, also told The Standard that at the time of the accident one of the emergency doors of the dormitory had been bolted from outside.

"The dormitory was holding more beds than it is required and these would have impeded the movement of the students as they attempted to rush out after the fire broke out," the official said.

A casual look at the placement of the double decker beds clearly indicates that the requisite space between the beds was not adhered to.

The safety manual by the ministry clearly indicates that spacing of beds should be at least 1.2m while the corridor or pathway space should not be less than 2m.

The safety manual outlines specific guidelines on other issues including drug and substance abuse, disaster and emergency preparedness, school-community relations, infrastructure and how to create a conducive teaching and learning environment, among others.

Every school should post evacuation maps at every entrance and exit to buildings, classrooms, enclosed hallways, stairways and offices, the manual states.

But at Endarasha nothing of the sort was in sight and it appears that the same had been disregarded.

Although there were two fire extinguishers at the burnt dormitory, the fact that they were not used is an indication that the students did not know how to operate them.

Fire extinguishers

A Form One student confirms this: "The fire extinguishers are placed on the wall of the dormitory but the teachers have not shown us how they are used. We thought of water when the fire broke out."

The manual clearly stipulates that schools should schedule practice drill sessions for fire, earthquake, lockdown, shelter-in-place and other situations that the safety committee determines necessary to practice, but students at the school said nothing of the sort had been conducted.

Fire drills are required once a month, the manual explains.

Police have charged nine students and two civilians in connection with the fire and according to Nyeri OCPD Kirunya Limbitu, investigation is still on.

"We might arrest more people in connection with the fire once investigation is complete," says Limbitu.

Education Minister Sam Ongeri, who visited the school after the tragedy, was clearly not happy with the barring of windows with grills and wire mesh.

"Just by looking, it is clear that the windows had impediments which have been outlawed in the safety manuals issued by the ministry. I doubt whether these precious document is being used by schools," the minister observed.

He also doubted whether the dormitory had the capacity to house the 184 students.

Remarked Prof Ongeri: "This is a very large population compared to the structure of the building. I am not sure that this number can be safely accommodated here."

During the minister’s visit, he also expressed concern over the decision by the school management to herd Form One students in one dormitory.

"It is not a common practice in school to put one particular class in a dormitory. Why did the management see it fit to put Form Ones in one place instead of integrating them with others?" posed the minister.

Taken to task

He took the school principal Laban Wanjau to task over the worrisome state of the ill-fated dormitory.

"I am also concerned by the congestion in the dormitory. There should be spaces between beds to avoid stampedes in case of an emergency," said Ongeri.

He also queried how petrol was sneaked into a school compound without detection from students, watchmen and the teachers.

"The policy is written, and all schools have copies. They must be followed to the letter, and we are not giving any deadline because those who have not complied are already late," he said.

Ongeri added that the ministry would engage central procurement of fire extinguishers, since most schools were unable to buy the equipment due to their high cost.

"But still, what matters most is integration and morals that govern the schools and communities around. We should not go direct to procure fire extinguishers because we can avoid most fires, but it has now turned out that it is a priority," he said.

Central PDE Patrick Nyagosia said the manuals spelling out the strict safety guidelines were available in all schools.

Mr Nyagosia said the investigators of the fire at the school were also looking at the structure as well as whether the emergency exits had been interfered with.

"Let us wait for the investigators to finish their work before we can comment further. But there are laid down procedures, which all school must adhere to," said the PDE.