School infernos: Church leaders call for gradual scrapping of boarding schools

Bishop Samuel Njiriri of Stewards Revival Ministry. (Courtesy)

A section of religious leaders is now proposing that boarding schools be gradually abolished, even as several are now opting to send the learners home to avoid destruction.

Led by the  Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya (FEICCK), the clergy observe that the shift will empower boarding schools.

Speaking in Nairobi, the Federation’s chairman, Bishop Samuel Njiriri, observed that boarding schools have contributed to rising indiscipline among learners.

He blamed peer pressure, reduced parental supervision, and weakened moral guidance as key factors behind student unrest.

“Boarding schools have become breeding grounds for social misfits due to peer influence and lack of proper parental guidance,” he said.

The Federation also blamed parents for relegating their responsibilities to the teachers instead of being part and parcel of their children’s development.

“Parents should take a more active role in shaping their children’s behavior, including instilling discipline that must begin at home before the learners join the institutions of learning.”

At the same time, Bishop Njiriri also called for the reintroduction of regulated corporal punishment as part of broader efforts to restore discipline in schools.

On the Utumishi tragedy that ended the lives of 16 students, Bishop Njiriri called for firmer use of CCTV systems in schools.

He proposed that surveillance systems should be actively monitored in real time rather than being used only for investigations after incidents have already occurred, noting that the cameras should not serve as post-incident tools.

“They should be used to prevent unrest and criminal incidents as they unfold. The state should ensure that monitoring systems are manned by trained personnel capable of responding immediately to suspicious activity in schools.”