Fast-track investigations on the cause of tragic school inferno

Vitale HGM Boarding Primary School dormitory on fire

It is quite tragic that parents and kin have to mourn deaths of eight students who died in a school fire yesterday, even before the ink has dried on a report on school infernos. But as the general public await a preliminary investigative report into yesterday’s fire at Moi Nairobi Girls Secondary School, they will need an assurance on the safety of boarders. The concern by students and parents is justified — there have been far too many fires in primary and secondary schools for comfort.

Even as we console the families bereaved in yesterday’s fire, we must demand speedy investigations into the incident. There are already worrying reports of laxity in the rescue efforts. It has been reported that the first responders took too long to get to the scene of the fire even though the nearest police post is less than two kilometres away. On many occasions, students had to use their own wits to get to safe areas — many of them had to jump from windows because rescuers took too long to arrive. These reports must be looked into.