Students share beds as fire burns Kericho school dorm

Some 124 students of Kericho Boys High School in Kericho County were on Monday night forced to share beds with others after a mysterious fire gutted their dormitory.

The school’s principal Daniel Chelule, who spoke to the Daily Nation by phone Monday night, however, dismissed claims of a students’ unrest and instead blamed the fire incident on a few wayward students whom he said had been sent home for allegedly masterminding protests at the school earlier in the year.

“We are just suspecting that some students who were suspended from school earlier this year could sneaked back to school and caused the fire.

“The students were calm and even assisted us to put out the fire. We are glad that no student was injured during this unfortunate incident,” he said.

Mr Chelule, who has been at the helm of the school for only three weeks, having been transferred there from Kericho Tea Boys High School, has appealed to the government and well-wishers to help the school build another dormitory.

POLICE LAUNCH INVESTIGATIONS

He said police had started investigations into the fire incident, adding that although the students lost everything in the inferno, the Kenya Red Cross had offered to assist them with some emergency supplies.

Some former students recently visited the school to counsel the students following a series of unrests that have hit the institution since the beginning of the year.

On March 22, more than 700 students were sent home for nearly two weeks after they stormed out of the school late in the evening accusing the school administration of high-handedness.

Simon Kirui, a former student, called for the reinstatement of corporal punishment in schools, saying it was the only way to ensure that discipline is maintained.

“Students in our schools are above the law, thanks to the so-called children’s rights.

“A student who endangers the lives of hundreds of other students cannot be expelled or punished and school administrators can do little [about it]. Our schools have been thrown to the dogs,” he said.

KNUT BLAMES MATIANG'I

But the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has insisted that the school strikes being witnessed in the country were as a result of apprehension by students over the new school guidelines issued by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion called on Dr Matiang’i to rescind his recent directives, including the extension of the second term by a week, until proper consultation is done.

“I have told the minister many times that his orders were having psychological effects on our students but he has turned a deaf ear to us. Now look at what is happening.

“There is general tension among students across the country and the minister must stop what he is doing,” said Mr Sossion.

However, the Education ministry has already refuted claims that school unrests are related to the new regulations issued by CS Matiang'i.

Kericho Boys is not the only school in Kericho County that has been affected.

Two weeks ago, a dormitory was burned down in Londiani Boys High School, forcing the administration to send the students home for a week.

On Monday, students of Keben Secondary School in Belgut Constituency walked for more than 20 kilometres to the county education office in Kericho Town to complain over alleged high-handedness by the administration.

On Sunday night students of Kiptewit Secondary School also rioted and fled from the school compound on Monday morning when police arrived to investigate what was happening.