Matiang'i: School fire tragedies are being swept under the carpet

Former CS Fred Matiangi during an interview with The Standard over school unrest. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has questioned the government’s handling of the Utumishi Girls fire tragedy, raising concerns over what he termed as a lack of clear, timely and comprehensive investigative reports following major school disasters in the country.

Speaking during an interview with The Standard, Matiang’i said he was troubled by what he described as a pattern in which public statements and official visits follow serious incidents involving the loss of children’s lives, but without detailed reports being made available to the public.

‘’A year down now, we have not seen any report on what exactly happened in Endarasha  and now we have the disheartening Utumishi incident. The government is simply showing how much it doesn’t care about our children,’’ he said, linking the Utumishi Girls incident to a broader concern about unresolved school fire tragedies.

He further faulted the government for casually handling such cases, noting the president himself has not even shown enough interest to go to the school.

Matiang’i said the absence of clear findings after such incidents reflects a worrying gap in accountability and institutional responsibility, arguing that families affected by the tragedies deserve full disclosure of what happened and why.

He suggested that the handling of the Utumishi Girls fire, like similar past incidents, points to a failure by responsible agencies to complete investigations in a transparent and timely manner, noting that firing the teachers and principal is not enough.

‘’Firing them doesn’t solve the issue at hand, the failures in that school and across our education sector goes beyond just the teachers, it is a wholesome responsibility from top down, ’he said.

The former Cabinet Secretary said that in a well-functioning system, every major incident involving loss of life in schools should result in a structured investigative process, followed by a public report outlining causes, responsibility, and corrective measures.

He argued that the continued absence of such reports creates room for speculation and erodes public confidence in the institutions tasked with protecting learners.

Matiang’i further questioned whether existing safety and oversight mechanisms in the education sector are being properly enforced, insisting that Kenya already has sufficient rules and standards to govern boarding school safety.

“There is nothing to reinvent the wheel about. The challenge is implementation, enforcement and supervision to ensure consistency,” he said.

He suggested that the recurrence of school fire tragedies indicates weaknesses not in policy formulation, but in execution and supervision by responsible officers and institutions.

Matiang’i also raised concerns about what he described as a culture of casualness in responding to national tragedies, saying that leadership should go beyond public appearances and statements to include detailed follow-up and accountability.

He argued that serious incidents such as the Utumishi Girls fire require urgent, coordinated responses followed by transparent communication of findings once investigations are complete.

The former Interior CS said the country risks normalising tragedy if institutions continue to respond without providing closure through formal reports and corrective action.

Matiang’i further warned that failure to enforce safety standards consistently across schools could continue exposing learners to preventable risks, particularly in boarding institutions where children are more vulnerable.

“Our greatest enemy in the public sector is compromise. You compromise here, compromise there, and the sum total of those compromises is disaster,” he said.

His remarks come amid renewed public debate following the Utumishi Girls fire, with pressure mounting on authorities to provide clear explanations of what happened and what measures are being taken to prevent similar incidents in future.

Matiang’i’s sentiments have added to growing calls for greater transparency in investigations involving school tragedies, with many Kenyans demanding accountability and assurance that lessons are being learned and implemented.