- Ashford Kimani urges the new principal of Utumishi Girls Academy to rebuild trust, strengthen school safety and prioritise learners’ well-being following the tragic dormitory fire.
- The new principal assumes office at a time of profound grief following the tragic dormitory fire.
- Rebuilding trust, strengthening safety and supporting learners’ mental well-being should become the school’s immediate priorities.
- Compassionate and visionary leadership can transform tragedy into hope and resilience.
Dear Principal,
Congratulations on your appointment to lead Utumishi Girls Academy at one of the most difficult moments in its history.
While every principal dreams of assuming office amid celebration and optimism, you have inherited a school still mourning the loss of 16 promising young lives.
Yours is not merely an administrative assignment—it is a sacred responsibility.
As you prepare to welcome learners back, remember that you are not simply reopening classrooms.
You are reopening hearts that have been broken.
Behind every learner is a family still grappling with fear.
Behind every teacher is a colleague carrying emotional scars.
Behind every dormitory is a memory that cannot be erased by fresh paint or new furniture.
Rebuilding trust
Your greatest task will not be improving examination results, balancing budgets or enforcing discipline.
It will be rebuilding trust.
Parents are entrusting you with what they value most—their daughters.
They need to believe that the school is now safer than it has ever been.
Safety should become the institution’s defining culture rather than merely a policy contained in files.
Every learner should understand emergency procedures.
Every member of staff should know their responsibilities during a crisis.
Every dormitory should undergo regular inspection, and every concern raised by learners should receive immediate attention.
Please cultivate a culture where learners are heard.
Many school tragedies are preceded by warning signs that go unnoticed or unaddressed.
Learners often identify problems before adults do.
They know when emergency exits are blocked, when electrical wiring appears unsafe or when discipline challenges are escalating.
Encourage them to speak freely without fear of punishment.
Let every girl know that her voice matters.
Leading with compassion
Lead with compassion.
Some learners will return carrying emotional trauma that may not be immediately visible.
They may struggle to sleep, lose concentration in class or withdraw from their peers.
Others may appear cheerful while silently carrying emotional wounds.
Academic excellence should never come at the expense of mental well-being.
Make counselling services accessible.
Normalise conversations about mental health.
Remind every learner that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Support your teachers as well.
Educators are often expected to comfort learners while suppressing their own grief.
Give them opportunities to heal, reflect and receive professional psychosocial support.
A cared-for teacher is better equipped to care for learners.
Building a lasting legacy
You also have the privilege of shaping the school’s future identity.
Whether or not the institution eventually adopts a new name, help ensure that it becomes known not for tragedy but for resilience, excellence and integrity.
Let the memory of those who lost their lives inspire an unwavering commitment to protecting every child who walks through the school gates.
Build strong partnerships with parents rather than keeping them at a distance.
Communicate openly about safety measures, school policies and challenges.
Transparency builds confidence, while silence breeds suspicion.
A school community flourishes when administrators, teachers and parents work together.
Above all, lead by example.
Be visible.
Walk through the dormitories.
Visit classrooms.
Interact with learners during meals.
Listen more than you speak.
Let every learner know that the principal’s office is not a place of fear but a place where concerns are heard and acted upon.
History has entrusted you with an enormous responsibility, but it has also given you a rare opportunity—to demonstrate that compassionate and visionary leadership can transform pain into purpose.
May every decision you make honour the memory of those who never returned home.
May every improvement you introduce save lives.
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May every learner who graduates from your school leave not only with excellent grades but also with the confidence that she was educated in an institution where her safety, dignity and well-being truly mattered.
The nation wishes you wisdom, courage and strength as you begin this important journey.
Yours sincerely,
By Ashford Kimani
A concerned education stakeholder
Ashford Kimani is a teacher of English and Literature who writes on education and social affairs.
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