Dr Aggrey catches fire as students report back to school

A dormitory in Dr Aggrey National School in Taita Taveta County on fire. [Renson Mwanyamwezi, Standard]

Dr Aggrey Boys National School has once again caught fire, sending teachers, parents and students into panic.

The fire occurred during the day in one of the dormitories at a time when teachers were busy receiving students back to school following last week's inferno that destroyed part of the school. 

Last week, the school was closed, and about 2,000 students were sent home after a fire razed a dormitory housing over 100 students.

The school directed that each student pay Sh4,500 for dormitory repairs. Yesterday, form four students returned to school. 

“We do not know what is happening in the school, and security personnel must expand their scope of investigations outside,” said one of the parents.

A total of 12 public secondary schools, among them Kenyatta Boys National School, have so far been closed indefinitely and students sent home following fire incidents, and at least 33 students have been arraigned for arson.

Taita Taveta County Police Commander Jonathan Koech confirmed the latest fire incident. The police commander said the fire occurred when teachers were busy receiving students back to school.

Mr Koech, however, said teachers and students managed to put out the fire. “The school authorities managed to put out the fire, and a mattress was razed to ashes in the process,” confirmed the police boss.

A fortnight ago, three hooded suspected arsonists were reported to have gained entry into the school and touched property of unknown value, as closed-circuit television (CCTV) images have revealed.

The CCTV images, according to teachers who accessed them, showed the suspects covering themselves with blankets to gain entry into the school through the porous fence to commit the arson attack that has baffled the county security team.

The newly elevated National School has installed the digital smart wireless CCTV cameras as an effective measure to mitigate criminal activities that have hit the institution situated along the busy Wundanyi-Werugha road.

The frequent fire incidents have raised many questions now about how the suspects could have gained entry into the school and destroyed property despite the heavy presence of security personnel deployed last Wednesday night to guard lives and property. Earlier, police thwarted an attempt by the boys to set the school on fire.

Teachers disclosed that masked men entered the school through the porous fence and torched the dormitory.

They told The Standard that the suspects covered themselves with blankets to avert detection. “The CCTV footage has been handed over to the DCI for analysis and action,” the teachers said.

“The challenge we are having now is that the school has no fence, and it is porous. You can access the institution in different locations, putting the lives of teachers and students at risk,” noted the teachers.

Intelligence sources described the incident as a well-coordinated arson attack. The intelligence said there could be collusion between outsiders and insiders from the school as questions are being raised as to why dormitory doors were left open at the time of the incident.

“How did the suspects manage to gain entry into the school without the involvement of insiders? The police deployed were caught flat-footed, said the intelligence source.

At the same time, parents and teachers expressed fears that the porous fence at the school could be used to sneak in hardcore drugs and illicit brews to vulnerable students.

Parents noted that the security of their children was at risk if the BOM failed to put up a perimeter wall around the school.

“The incident caught the security personnel flat-footed, as it was well-coordinated and executed during the day. The suspects easily entered the school unnoticed. There are also underlying issues that should be rectified to avert future fire occurrences,” posed a senior education officer.

On the other hand, parents have called for independent investigations, complaining that last year’s fire investigations had not been made public.

“We have been bearing the brunt of fire incidents, and we need an independent investigation to determine the cause of the fire, which will help to find a lasting solution to the perennial problem that has been badly affecting performance in national examinations," Victor John, a parent at the school, told The Standard yesterday. 

“Why are we paying for damages when investigations are not complete?" wondered the parent. John said the county security team blamed the fires on students, teachers and members of the community and wondered why only parents are bearing the brunt. 

In addition, parents noted that the introduction of corporal punishment and harsh and brutal teachers, coupled with the frequent chasing away of students for lack of school fees, has compounded the problem in the once high-performing school.

“Why is the school administration sending students home for lack of a white handkerchief, spoons, and plates, among other small items?" posed a parent.