Investigations are underway to establish the cause of a recent fire incident at Maranda High School.

It has been established that the police are however yet to make any arrests in connection with the incident.

The fire incident was reported in the national school on Thursday at dawn.

” It happened at 3 am,” our source who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals said.

The building that caught fire was being used as a store. It was once a dormitory according to our sources.

” No student was injured during the dawn inferno,” the source said.

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However, property of unknown value was destroyed according to the source.

Nyanza regional director of education Nelson Sifuna confirmed the incident.

” The school has confirmed the incident but I’m waiting for the full report on the same from them,” he said.

Reliable sources from the institution revealed that there was a commotion at the school last Sunday.

Six form four and three students have reportedly been identified as the masterminds. They are allegedly barred from going to class like the rest since the incident was reported.

” The commotion was a result of protests by some students who missed their meals. They were barred from eating on the basis that they delayed going for their ratio,” the source disclosed. They were reportedly in the playground when food was served.

The commotion reportedly led to the suspension of one of the form four students.

” The students protested and left a warning, which was written on a toilet wall that they would burn the school on October 4,” another source told The Star.

The source indicated that tension has been building in the school since February with claims of low morale amongst some teachers and a section of students

Our sources said that some teachers were disgruntled over alleged arbitrary transfers and intimidation by the administration.

“They go to class at 6 am and leave at 9 pm after supervising revision by the students,” the source said.

“The students claim that they are subjected to take several exams which they don’t want while some teachers also claim that they’re being overworked and made to work extra hours,” the source intimated.

Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) national chairman, Charles Ochome has called for proper public participation among stakeholders on suggestions to reintroduce caning in schools.

Ochome noted that questions on why caning was removed in the first place and why it needs to be reintroduced and whether it will be a solution to the ongoing unrest in schools must be asked.

“I’m not opposing it but we need to go back to the public, have some public participation so that if it’s being reintroduced, all stakeholders including parents must agree,” he said.

He spoke in Kisumu on Tuesday during a meeting by private schools heads from both Nyanza and Western on the digitization of publication content.

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He however noted that the reintroduction may or may not help, adding it was stopped because some teachers were using violence.

“In the first instance, who is going to administer corporal punishment to those children? I believe if it comes back, it must be guided,” added Ochome.

However, on the issues of arson, the chairman noted that it was sad and should not be encouraged, adding that parents should be able to guide their children well.

“This is a personal opinion and I am not a principal of any high school but from the look of things because I sit in various boards and I think the schools are congested, if you look at one school it has over 2,000 students hence creating a lot of pressure and needs to be looked into “.

Ochome suggested that the government should think of placing some of the students in private schools “because we have space”.

“This can help us, it’s something we have to think of”.

The calls to have corporal punishment in schools comes at a time various school across the country have been torched with some students in police custody.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha and his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i have called for the return of corporal punishment in schools.

They had attributed the occurrence of school fires to growing indiscipline among learners.

“We need to introduce caning back in our schools like yesterday and the parents should begin disciplining them at home,” Magoha said.

He asked the relevant authorities to quickly enact laws that will bring back the cane to schools to stem lawlessness.

Magoha said he was aware of the efforts of the human rights activists blocking the reintroduction of caning in schools.

“Which human rights are there when these students are burning schools and destroying property? We cannot expect miracles from teachers when children are not being disciplined,” he said.

He said contrary to the opinion held by human rights activists, caning does not kill.

The Government has shifted blames on the human rights activists for the unruly behaviour currently witnessed among students in various schools.

According to the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, human rights activists have made it difficult for the Government to have sanity in the education sector.

However, he added that the Government is keen on ensuring there was law and order in the management of the education sector in the country.

“The Government is concerned about the frequent cases of unrest in schools and we are going to put measures in place to ensure we have law and order in place,” said Matiang’i.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha who was in the company of Matiang’i at Egentonto Primary School in South Mugirango Constituency in Kisii County, advocated for the reintroduction of corporal punishment in schools to bring back sanity.

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Magoha said that during his time in school, they were caned thoroughly which made him what he is today and that nobody died from the strokes of canes they got from teachers in a bid to instil discipline in the students.

“I am adamant that caning should be reintroduced back in schools immediately because we cannot afford to have rogue students running amok in schools unchecked,” said Magoha.

He said that the 2021 national examinations to be conducted in March next year were ready and that the government will ensure that the exercise was carried out without any anomalies.

“The Government is aware that students have faced a lot of challenges for the last one year since due to Covid-19 and we are going to ensure that all the challenges the students faced during that difficult time are considered,” said Magoha.

A wave of school fire incidences Kenya has faced this term leaves parents and stakeholders demanding solutions from the ministry of education, with others proposing that boarding schools be abolished since only dormitories are getting razed.

So far, more than 36 schools have experienced arson cases, and the number increases daily.

A number of schools have been closed down after dormitories, classrooms and laboratories were torched and, in some instances, learners left nursing injuries. In some cases like Muhoho secondary schools, learners never burnt the school but demanded to go home and promised to communicated the time they would come back to resume their studies.

Where property has been destroyed, parents will be forced to fork out money to help facilitate reconstruction of the infrastructure.

Click the counties below to see the list of schools razed down this term. The list is updated any time a school gets torched.

1. BARINGO COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
2. BOMET COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
3. BUNGOMA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
4. BUSIA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
5. ELGEYO MARAKWET COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
6. EMBU COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
7. GARISSA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
8. HOMA BAY COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
9. ISIOLO COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
10. KAJIADO COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
11. KAKAMEGA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
12. KERICHO COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
13. KIAMBU COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
14. KILIFI COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
15. KIRINYAGA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
16. KISII COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
17. KISUMU COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
18. KITUI COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
19. KWALE COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
20. LAIKIPIA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
21. LAMU COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
22. MACHAKOS COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
23. MAKUENI COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
24. MANDERA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
25. MARSABIT COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
26. MERU COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
27. MIGORI COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
28. MOMBASA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
29. MURANG’A COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
30. NAIROBI COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
31. NAKURU COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
32. NANDI COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
33. NAROK COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
34. NYAMIRA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
35. NYANDARUA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
36. NYERI COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
37. SAMBURU COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
38. SIAYA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
39. TAITA TAVETA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
40. TANA RIVER COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
41. THARAKA NITHI county LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
42. TRANS NZOIA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
43. TURKANA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
44. UASIN GISHU COUNTY LIST BURNT SCHOOLS
45. VIHIGA COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
46. WAJIR COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS
47. WEST POKOT COUNTY LIST OF BURNT SCHOOLS

Manyatta Member of Parliament John Muchiri has joined in the calls for face out of boarding schools to avert rampant school unrest and fire incidences currently witnessed in schools.

The MP said the ravaging unrest in schools is something that needs to be looked at by all angles and how the problem will be addressed amicably.

Speaking while donating a 51- seater bus at DEB Iveche Primary school in his constituency, he said day’s schools were not witnessing arson in schools, and they should be embraced all through.

“We need a national conversation on our boarding schools, there is a need to ask ourselves if truly boarding schools are important for us. Why are we disadvantaging our day schools, and they are doing well, every county should have at least schools which our students can go there to learn and go home daily,” Muchiri said.

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According to the Muchiri, there were underlying factors influencing arson attacks in schools that need deep focus.

Muchiri took blamed school administrations for not creating a good channel that will facilitate students’ to air their grievances well to prevent the destruction of property in schools.

“Among the factors influencing this bad behaviour by students in schools is a failure by teachers who have not been trained on how to manage students at school and also poor parenting,” Muchiri noted.

The legislator maintained that abolishing of boarding schools will ensure parents have enough time with their children to give them moral guidance as teachers guide them academically.

Call to abolish boarding schools have also been raised by the kenya national union of post primary education teachers, KUPPET and the kenya national union of teachers, KNUT, among other stake holders. Last year, the cabinet secretary for education, George Magoha hinted at phased closure of boarding schools.

Existence of boarding schools and long term durations have been given as the reasons for increased unrest in schools. A section of teachers however feel that poor teacher remuneration and empowerment is the main course of these unrests. Revealing that even day schools, though not experiencing arson cases, have even worse discipline cases compared to boarding schools, the teachers blame the government for thinking that arson is the only indiscipline case in schools.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha has announced that teachers and prefects on duty will be held responsible for school fires.

Magoha said that in almost all the fire incidents reported across the country, teachers usually report that they do not know the causes of the fires yet they are paid heavily to run the institutions.

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Magoha insisted that learners cannot be more intelligent that the teachers yet teachers are professionals in their fields.

“The role of the teachers is to enforce discipline and offer counselling to learners. Don’t allow learners to be more intelligent than you,” Magoha said during an education stakeholders meeting in Kisumu.

Magoha said that teachers vet Prefects before giving them those positions and therefore capable learners hold those positions. “They have no business being in those positions if they don’t know what other learners are planning in their schools,” said Magoha.

The CS was reacting to escalating cases of fire incidences in public boarding schools and some day schools in Kenya. These fire incidences had been there in the past, especially towards national exams but have been on the rise after schools reopening after the covid-19 break.

Experts attribute the fire incidences to poor parenting. Others attribute them to lack of co-curricular activities, which make learners to redirect their energies elsewhere.

It is not going to be easy for the teachers and prefects on duty since incidences have also been reported of learners beating their teachers or threatening them with dangerous weapons.

He directed teachers to ensure that dormitories are inspected and locked each morning, and the learners’ movements monitored. “We should ensure there are no more fires in schools by having a system that works to tame the vice.”

Magoha urged learners to remain disciplined and warned that investigations would reveal the identities of those behind the fires. Their details, he added, will be included in a database “that can be used against them in their entire career.”

Magoha said it was time to hold a national conversation on the issue of corporal punishment and urged parents to show more concern for their children.