The Ministry of Education came up with new policies to safeguard students in case of any emergency.
However, in the most recent cases of fire outbreaks in schools, it is evident that most schools are ignoring the directives.
A spot check by The Star reveals that most public secondary schools have not implemented some of the policies.
According to the report by the Ministry of Education Safety Standards Manual for Schools, dormitories should have an exit on each end and another one in the middle- an emergency exit.
“The dormitory should have a wide doorway that is at least 5 feet wide and the corridor should be two meters and above,” the report reads.
The space between beds should be 1.2 metres, windows should be easy to open outwards and should not have grills.
For instance, the dormitory that caught fire at Buruburu Girls had one exit but the windows have grills.
Chavakali High School which was also on fire the same night had windows with grills in the affected building.
The beds were however well spaced and had a wide hallway.
Sigalame High School had partially grilled windows and two exits on both ends of the dormitory.
Ringa Boys had grilled windows fitted with glass and well-spaced beds.
However, most schools blame the congestion in dormitories on the over-admission of students.
Schools had to look for alternative strategies to ensure students fit in the dormitory including adopting triple-decker- beds.
National Parents Association chairman Nicholas Maiyo said only a section of the policies are effective, while most have been ignored.
Maiyo faulted school heads who ignored the directives saying they are putting learners' lives in danger.
“When such a thing happens there is panic and because some of those dormitories are not compliant to the policies, there’s likely to be a stampede that will worsen the situation,” Maiyo told the Star on phone.
Citing the recent incident at Buruburu Girls where students were seen jumping down from a window, Maiyo said the windows were not well fitted according to safety manuals.
In the trending video on social media platforms, students were holding onto window grills and jumping on mattresses.
On Wednesday, a dormitory was burnt at Eldoro Girls in Taveta subcounty while students were in class. Nobody was hurt.
Since August, almost 20 schools have reported fire incidents.
They are Sigalame High, Ofafa Jericho, Kimilili Boys, Vihiga Boys, Kambaa Girls, Gitweku Girls and Kanjuri High.
Others are Kabarak High, Dr Krapf Boys, Namboboto, St Peters Abwao, Ringa Boys, Osingo Mixed and Moi Girls Marsabit and Gendia High.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
