Kenyan schools ill-prepared for fires, Auditor-General report shows

Even as families of Endarasha Hillside Academy anguish in pain over the loss of their children, a report by the office of the Auditor-General shows how schools are ill-prepared to handle fires.

According to the Auditor-General, there is inadequate infrastructure, limited training on fire safety preparedness, and insufficient guidance and counselling in schools.

A report that sampled 42 schools dotted in five counties, revealed that the majority of schools do not have the equipment to handle a fire incident with schools required to have sufficient fire extinguishers, fire alarms and fire blankets.

The Auditor-General further noted that the majority of schools lack mandatory evacuation maps at every entrance.

All 42 sampled schools did not have evacuation maps flouting the set protocol.

A majority of sampled schools according to the report allocated the least fire extinguishers to halls with no fire assembly points in some schools.

The special audit on school fires revealed that some schools were not constructed in accordance with the required safety standards.

For instance, classrooms and dormitories are required to have their doors opening outwards; 22 schools had their doorways opening inwards in contravention of safety standards.

In the event of a fire breakout, students are likely to lock themselves inside during the struggle to escape.

The report also showed that some schools had their windows reinforced with metal grills making it difficult to evacuate students in the event of fire.

Some schools had only one door at the dormitory with the Ministry of Education protocol requiring that a dormitory must have doors at both ends.

Thirty out of 40 sampled schools exceeded the number of pupils stated in the registration certificate with the highest school having in excess of 519 students.

Twenty-nine schools had classes with more than 45 students contrary to regulations.

The audit revealed that six schools had triple-decker beds with the Ministry of Education only approving double-decker beds in schools.

Schools also flouted the spacing requirement of pathway space of 2 metres in dormitories; 34 boarding schools had double-decker beds with wrong spacing with most dormitories congested.

The Auditor-General recommended the Ministry of Education undertake a compliance audit on schools to guarantee safety in schools.