Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has called on school principals and boards of management to take proactive measures in implementing standard security and safety protocols to ensure the safety and security of learners.
He said these will help safe the children and communities at large.
“You must take proactive steps as principals and boards of management to ensure that our dormitories are not congested, that they have proper emergency exits,” he said.
He also urged schools to assess their security preparedness and strengthen surveillance measures through the installation of security cameras to deter and detect potential threats.
“We need to ensure that all schools have properly installed CCTV cameras covering critical areas, as well as a central control room for effective monitoring and response,” he said.
He was speaking in Kericho County during a thanksgiving ceremony at Kipsigis Girls’ High School.
He called on teachers to build strong relationships with learners to enhance information sharing and promote a safer school environment.
“I want to encourage teachers to build strong networks and relationships with students so that they can freely share feedback on what is happening in school,” he said.
Drawing lessons from the recent fire tragedy at Utumishi Girls Academy, the CS noted that some warning signs and information shared by students were not given the attention they deserved, a situation that later contributed to the unfortunate loss of lives.
“One of the things we have learned from Utumishi Girls Academy is that information shared by students was, in some cases, taken for granted,” he said.
The CS was accompanied by Kericho Governor Dr. Eric Mutai, Belgut Member of Parliament Nelson Koech, Kericho County Commissioner Ali Omar and MCAs among other leaders.
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