The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Chairperson has called for the total abolition of boarding schools in Kenya in the wake of the Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School fire that killed 16 students in Gilgil, Nakuru County, on May 28.
Omboko Milemba said Kenya must follow the example of other nations where children attend day schools and return home each evening, a model he argued would keep learners safer and allow parents to monitor their children’s welfare directly.
“The Education CS must now be brave and make the bold decision of abolishing boarding schools in Kenya. We can have our children go to day schools, the same as in other countries,” Milemba said. “It is not a must that our children stay in schools.”
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Milemba argued that many boarding institutions operate well below required safety standards, with overcrowded dormitories putting thousands of students at daily risk.
He urged Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to take the lead in initiating reforms that would progressively phase out boarding schools nationwide, saying the CS had both the authority and the responsibility to act.
Investigations into the Utumishi Girls fire have pointed to dormitory congestion and a locked exit door as key factors in the loss of lives, lending weight to Milemba’s concerns about the safety of boarding facilities across the country.
By Benedict Aoya
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