On December 3, 2024, Kenya’s Ministry of Education released a list of boarding schools facing closure following a comprehensive audit initiated by the Government. The move comes in the wake of a tragic fire in September 2024 at a boarding school in Endarasha, central Kenya, which claimed the lives of 21 students and sparked widespread outrage.
The audit, conducted over the past two months, revealed alarming safety and operational deficiencies. These included dormitories with overcrowded bunk beds spaced less than a meter apart, inadequate fire safety measures, the absence of female staff in girls’ boarding schools, and even cases of schools operating illegally as boarding facilities without registration.
“Some schools weren’t even officially recognized as boarding institutions,” said Evelyne Oweko, Director of Quality Assurance and Standards at the Ministry of Education. “They were operating entirely outside the law.”
The findings have provoked mixed reactions. While some school principals criticized the measures as overly harsh and accused the authorities of causing unnecessary panic among parents, others have voiced strong support for the government’s stance.
“We cannot gamble with the lives of our children—full stop,” said Silas David Obuhadsa, President of the National Parents’ Association. He highlighted that many of the affected schools are private institutions. “These schools are focused on profits but fail to provide even basic safety measures,” he added.
The government has given the sanctioned schools one month to address their shortcomings. Schools that meet the required standards will be allowed to reopen in time for the new academic year in January. This decisive action underscores Kenya’s commitment to prioritizing student safety and restoring trust in its education system.