We're underpaid and overworked, guards in Kenyan schools lament

Samuel Kirwa, a watchman at Uasin Gishu County’s Leseru High School. Kirwa said he did not think security guards were involved in the burning of schools. [PHOTO: PETER OCHIENG/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: Some of the school fires that have caused damage running to hundreds of millions of shillings may have been prevented had secondary school principals heeded former Education CS Jacob Kaimenyi’s directive.

Prof Kaimenyi last year directed principals of all public schools to employ trained guards from registered security firms after it emerged many of the learning institutions, especially those in  rural areas, employed untrained villagers  to provide security.