Parents worry about ‘death trap’ dorms in children’s schools

Parents have raised serious concerns over the safety of their children in school dormitories, especially in the event of fire. This fear has been prompted by rising cases of dorm fires and the resulting injuries and deaths of students.

Although some of the cases have been accidental, fingers are also being pointed at arsonists. The latest incident of a dormitory fire occurred at Tala High School in Machakos County, in which one student died and others were severely burned. Speaking at the scene, area police boss Joseph Chesire said majority of the students could have come out of the dormitory unhurt if the windows did not have grills. He also said that students sustained burns as they scrambled to exit the burning dormitory. The emergency door was permanently sealed.