Infernos of Neglect, the Tragic Cycle of School Fires Across Africa.

By Ekaale Ekuam

September 7, 2024

The most recent fire tragedy on Thursday this week in Kenya at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, which claimed 17 innocent lives, serves as a bad reminder of this deadly dark history that has hit schools. This incident, among many experienced before, really puts critical questions, was it an electric fault, negligence, or worse-still, arson?

Kenya has a dark history when it comes to the burning of schools, most of which it blames on student unrest. A 2001 inferno at Kyanguli Secondary School that claimed the lives of 67 students is among the worst arson attacks in Kenyan school history. Nyeri High School has been faced with a similar incident of a student-orchestrated fire, showing a deeper problem-that the students are not just victims but often the perpetrators.

Predicably,the government reactions towards these tragedies were not swift, the government was to ensure proper fire escape routes, that dormitories were not locked from the outside, and that a school matron slept among the students. Meant to protect the lives of the students as they may be, these overlook one pertinent issue-the role that the students themselves have played in orchestrating some of these fires.

Think of the tragedy that took place at St. Kizito on July 14, 1991, in which 19 girls were killed and 71 others were raped by their male classmates in a horrific attack on their dormitory. Survivors who are now mothers have never put behind them that heinous crime. Of course, the tragedy does not relate to fire, but it says volumes about school safety and failed systems that are supposed to protect girls from such tragedy.

Kenya is not alone in this. Across Africa, fires have plagued schools-generally tragic and with the involvement of students. For instance, in 2020, a fire razed a school in Liberia, claiming the lives of 28 students. Inquiries that followed established that the fire was probably caused by an electrical fault, but this sad tragedy was worsened by the congested dormitory, poor ventilation, and lack of escape routes.

Such was the case in a Koranic school fire, where over 20 lives were lost in a fire in Nigeria in 2002. In that incident, too, it came out that neglect of essential fire safety measures was at the center of the issue. Lack of emergency exits was one major factor that caused such a high death toll. South Africa, where arson in schools has become common of late, the government has taken extreme measures. Schools are being fitted out with surveillance systems, strict regulations have been imposed on how dormitories can be built, and so on and so forth. Security personnel have been placed in boarding schools, particularly in the troubled times, to limit arson and other forms of violence initiated by the students.

Tanzania, too, has had its own problem of fires caused by students. In 2016 alone, 10 students died in one of such fire outbreaks in an Arusha-based primary school. Investigations showed that the fire was set by students who were protesting the rules at school. In response, Tanzania implemented very strict measures for safety in schools, including mandatory fire drills, the installation of fire alarms, and making sure all dormitories have multiple points of exit.

With these tragedies and subsequent measures, one may still ask why students burn their schools. According to experts, the root causes are pegged on poor student-teacher relations, stresses from academic expectations, and lack of proper mental health support in schools. This makes many students resort to arson as a way of showing frustration and anger, often with deadly results.

The Kenyan government has supported the formation of commissions of enquiry into these incidents, but indeed much more is required in addressing causes of student unrest. This kind of support needs to include mental health support, open channels for communicating both ways between students and staff, as well as a culture of accountability. Schools need to move beyond reactive measures to proactive policies that involve students in creating a friendly and safe environment.

The tragedy at Hillside Endarasha Academy is a painful reminder that, despite the previous reforms, our schools remain vulnerable. Be it through negligence, faulty electric circuits, or arson, the toll of 17 lives lost is just too great for any society to bear. As the government investigates, justice to the families of these lost souls must be meted out, and the remaining students need the assurance that their schools are safe havens, not death traps.

It is here that Africa needs to learn from its past so that it is able to break this terrible cycle. The arson in schools is a symptom of broader systemic problems. Unless these are addressed, it is impossible to prevent tragedies later on and guarantee the safety of our children.

Parents with children in boarding school will constantly be in a state of worry due to the unknown happenings of their kids while in school.

The Author,

Is a Freelance Writer, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management Consultant.