Sossion Links School Fires to Poor Boarding Facility Standards.
As unrest continues to affect schools nationwide, former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion has attributed recent school fires to the poor quality of boarding school facilities.
In a conversation with Spice FM on Sunday, September 16, Sossion expressed his concerns regarding the collapse of the education sector.
He pointed out that a lack of quality assurance and standards was a primary cause of the current issues, mentioning the recent fire at Endarasha School, which tragically claimed the lives of several pupils.
He criticized private schools for constructing substandard buildings, which he viewed as purely profit-driven, and called it both unpatriotic and harmful to the country’s educational integrity.
Concerns Over Substandard Structures and Regulations
Sossion raised concerns about the standards applied to allow Endarasha School to operate, questioning why such a school was granted a license despite failing to meet minimum safety requirements.
He highlighted several issues, including the use of timber in dormitory construction, timber partitions, and beds, as well as the practice of locking doors from the outside at night, all while the dormitories were overcrowded.
Sossion also suggested that the fires were being set deliberately by students as a form of protest. He blamed the fires primarily on the overcrowded conditions in schools.
He linked this overcrowding to the Jubilee administration’s directive to achieve a 100 percent transition to secondary schools without establishing clear guidelines or ensuring that schools were adequately prepared in terms of infrastructure and boarding facilities.
Call for Accountability and Policy Changes
Sossion urged investigative agencies to hold both the Ministry of Education and the Endarasha School’s proprietor accountable for the fire incident.
He also emphasized the need for proper oversight of school capitation funds, noting that a lack of financial accountability had further damaged the sector.
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Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi echoed Sossion’s sentiments, adding that the current education guidelines need revision.
She specifically pointed out the issue of placing young children in boarding schools, arguing that some parents use these facilities as a way to manage their children while focusing on other personal matters.
Elachi agreed that the situation called for urgent reforms to prevent further tragedies.
Sossion Links School Fires to Poor Boarding Facility Standards.
