Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has mandated a comprehensive fire and safety inspection of all educational institutions within the county, starting on Monday.
This decision comes in response to the recent tragic fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, which resulted in the deaths of 21 students and triggered nationwide concerns about school fire safety standards.
Governor Nassir announced the initiative during an event at the Seventh Day Adventist camp at Tononoka Grounds in Mvita Sub-County.
The inspection aims to uncover any fire safety deficiencies within schools and will include both private and public institutions.
This includes Early Childhood Development centers, primary and secondary schools, as well as universities.
Additionally, school staff will receive fundamental fire safety training to improve their emergency response skills.
The directive follows another recent incident where a fire broke out at Isiolo Girls Secondary School on Saturday night, just a day after the Nyeri disaster.
Local authorities, including the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and fire services from Isiolo Airport, quickly responded to the blaze, preventing it from escalating further. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among students or staff.
National Police Spokesperson Dr. Resila Onyango confirmed that the fire was successfully extinguished with no casualties.
“Thankfully, there were no injuries to students, teachers, or staff,” Onyango stated.
The series of school fires has heightened the urgency for improved safety protocols across Kenya’s educational institutions.
Following the Hillside Endarasha tragedy, which saw severe burns making accurate victim identification challenging, Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura noted that DNA matching is underway to confirm the exact number of victims.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and government pathologists are spearheading this identification process.
This troubling trend has highlighted the critical need for enhanced safety measures and better preparedness in schools throughout the country.
