Arsonists burn down 3 dorms in Kilifi schools

Chumani Secondary School students collect what remained of their personal effects after a fire burnt down their dormitory on July 14, 2015 night. Five dormitories were destroyed by fires in three secondary schools in Kilifi County. Education and county officials suspect the attacks were co-ordinated by Form Four students. PHOTO | KAZUNGU SAMUEL | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Form Four students at Chumani, Dzitsoni and Lutsangani secondary schools were yesterday being treated as the main suspects in the arson cases, according to the county director of education, Mr Dickson ole Keis.
• Kilifi police boss Joshua ole Leina said the first incident was reported at around 8pm at Dzitsoni Secondary School, when a dormitory caught fire as the girls were in class for preps.
• Prof Halimu Shauri of Pwani University urged the national government to devolve education for proper implementation of education policies.

 

By roryamaendeleo
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At least five dormitories were burnt down in three secondary schools in Kilifi on Tuesday night in what police believe to be co-ordinated arson attacks.

Form Four students at Chumani, Dzitsoni and Lutsangani secondary schools were yesterday being treated as the main suspects in the arson cases, according to the county director of education, Mr Dickson ole Keis. He said students were unwilling to sit their end-of-term examinations.

A security guard thwarted an attempt to burn another dormitory at Jaribuni Boys, but the arsonists still managed burn two beds and four mattresses. Another attempt to set on fire a dormitory at Chasimba Secondary also failed, but four beds were destroyed.

“The Form Four students who are not ready to sit exams could be behind the destruction of millions worth of property,” said Mr ole Keis.

Kilifi police boss Joshua ole Leina said the first incident was reported at around 8pm at Dzitsoni Secondary School, when a dormitory caught fire as the girls were in class for preps. The  dormitory used to accommodate 110 students.

“Half an hour later, the boys’ dormitory at Chumani caught fire. We suspect a well-planned attack by students, which forms the basis of our investigations. We will get to the bottom of this and those involved should be ready to face the full force of the law,” said Mr ole Leina.

At Dzitsoni, the students tried to put out the fire but it was too fierce for them. Everything was destroyed.

“Only four students salvaged a few of their belongings. However, no one was injured,” said Mr ole Leina. The school has 570 students, 216 girls and 354 boys.

At Chumani, the principal was addressing Form Four students when a huge fire broke out in the boys’ dormitory. The other students were attending preps.

RAZED THE BUILDING

“Everything was burnt down but a fire engine from the Kilifi County Government arrived an hour later and put out the fire,” said Mr ole Leina. The school has 700 students, some of them boarders.

At Lutsangani, a dormitory that used to accommodate 230 boys was burnt early yesterday. Some students were going for breakfast when they noticed the fire, which also razed the building.

Two other schools, Malindi High and Vitengeni Girls’, had been closed earlier due to student unrest.

“The students had given a condition that they should be allowed to go home or they would burn down everything,” said Mr ole Keis.

Despite the incidents, all the affected schools will remain open and exams are expected to go on as planned.

“Those who planned and executed the attacks will face dire consequences. The exams are a government procedure, which we cannot run away from,” he said.
The Kilifi County Education executive, Mr Salma Muhiddin, condemned the destruction of the property.

“I have visited one of the schools and I can tell you the damage is major. Those involved must be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

Governor Amason Kingi said he was saddened by the burning of the dormitories and called for immediate investigation into the incidents.

He described those behind the burning of dormitories as criminal.

“They will all be treated as criminals if found guilty,’’ Mr Kingi said on the sidelines of a meeting with members of the county assembly in Malindi. He also warned parents of students who may be found to have participated in the burning of dormitories that they would be held accountable alongside their children. The County Education Board chairman, Prof Gabriel Katana, said the burning of schools was a manifestation of the frustrations students were going through.

“First the students are not ready to do exams because they might not have had enough time to learn,” he said.

“It happens that most of the teachers are on games assignments for most of the time in this term. Due to that, their concentration in class is minimal. That is why there is need for the re-check of the curriculum and revise it to fit the current situations”.

Prof Halimu Shauri of Pwani University urged the national government to devolve education for proper implementation of education policies.