Utumishi Girls Academy Board of Management Dissolved
The government has dissolved the Board of Management of Utumishi Girls Academy for failing to enforce compliance with school safety regulations following yesterday’s dormitory fire that led to the death of 16 students.
“The Board of Management of Utumishi Girls Academy has been dissolved for failing to ensure compliance with the School Safety Manual and the Basic Education Regulations,” said Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba.
“The school did not adhere to the safety requirements as stipulated in the School Safety Manual and the Basic Education Regulations. In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked, contrary to the prescribed safety requirements.”
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba says preliminary findings exposed serious safety lapses at the Academy in the wake of the deadly dormitory fire.
“The school did not adhere to the safety requirements as stipulated in the school safety manual and the basic education regulations. In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked contrary to the prescribed safety requirements,” he said.
CS Ogamba further revealed that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had commenced disciplinary action against the school principal and two teachers over alleged negligence.
Ogamba says the two teachers are being questioned after it emerged that they had been alerted by some learners about planned unrest but failed to take appropriate preventative action.
“The Teacher Service Commission has been appraised of these findings and is taking appropriate and immediate disciplinary action against the principal for failing to ensure compliance with the school safety manual and basic education regulations. And the teachers who failed to take action despite having been informed of the planned unrest will also be subjected to disciplinary proceedings by the Teachers Service Commission,” he said.
At the time of the incident, the school had a total of 808 learners within the premises, all of whom were accounted for by Thursday evening.
The bodies of the 16 learners who died in the fire were transferred to Naivasha Sub-County Hospital Mortuary for preservation and DNA identification.
Parents and guardians have been directed to the facility for DNA testing.
The ministry further said 79 learners suffered injuries of varying degrees, with seven still admitted in hospital, while the rest had been treated and discharged.
Seven were airlifted on Thursday from Gilgil and they are now being treated in Kenyatta National Hospital.