Dr Aggrey Boys fires, accident raise questions

Questions abound over the cause of the accident that claimed seven lives and the events leading up to the two infernos that resulted in the closure of Dr Aggrey Boys High School in Taita Taveta. At least four students have been confirmed among the seven people killed in the grisly accident, while 28 others are hospitalised in various hospitals across the Coast region. Students of Dr Aggrey Boys, an extra-county school, were sent home after a dormitory made of iron sheets, housing 120 students, was reduced to ashes in the Thursday night inferno. "I pleaded with the students not to go home after the fire tragedies, but they resisted. My hands were tied, and I had no choice but to let them go as tension mounted," the school principal, Robert Aran,said. He stated that the fire incident is under investigation by Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers and blamed the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) for failing to install a three-phase transformer in the area. "The buck stops with KPLC for failing to connect power to the school, even after we paid over Sh422,000 on July 3, last year for the project," said Aran. Taita Taveta County Police Commander Ali Ndiema said 14 other students involved in the accident were hospitalised at Mwatate Sub-County Hospital. ACK Diocese Bishop Liverson Mng'onda, Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako, and the acting Assembly Speaker Anselim Mwadime were among the local leaders who condoled with the bereaved families. Mwashako called on the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) to quickly implement the report on the Josa black spot, which has been the site of frequent fatal accidents. "We have lost young, promising lives-a devastating loss that has shaken the school community to its core. This is a painful and heartbreaking experience, particularly for the parents who have lost their children," mourned the Speaker. As the principal blamed KPLC for the fires, it emerged that the incidents could have been caused by students who had raised several concerns that the administration had failed to address. The school is among dozens of public institutions that have installed CCTV cameras, but reports indicate that the surveillance system had been damaged. Multiple interviews and intelligence sources suggest that some Form Two and Form Three students may have played a role in the fire incidents. "It was the Form Three students who started the fire because they were unprepared for internal examinations (CATs)," claimed one student. Some students expressed dissatisfaction with the school administration after the ban on watching the English Premier League on Saturdays and Sundays. "The food is also poor diet, and we are served small portions. One of the deputy principals is very strict and harsh towards us," said the students. One parent, Agnes Wawuda, stated that students should have been sent home when the first fire broke out on Thursday night. "We could have avoided the loss of children and property if the students had been released on the first day the fire occurred. What will they tell us now that lives have been lost? The Board of Management should take responsibility for these losses," she said. Taita Sub-County Police Commander Onesmus Kombe said investigations into the fire incidents had been launched. "The DCI has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire," said Kombe, even as it emerged that electricity poles remain precariously hanging within the school compound. On Thursday night, during the fire incident, three students sustained injuries and were admitted to Wesu Sub-County Hospital. The school principal noted that another significant challenge facing the school is congestion, caused by the 100 per cent transition policy from primary to secondary school, which has overwhelmed infrastructure. Taita Sub-County Director of Education Jillo Nkaduda said the school transformer is old and inadequate to support the growing population. At the same time, the principal said the school's struggles have been compounded by the Wundanyi National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) failing to release Sh10 million as earlier promised, alongside pending school fee arrears.

Dr Aggrey Boys fires, accident raise questions

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