Education Cabinet Secretary Dr George Magoha has banned all portable hand sanitizers in schools over concerns of the recent school fire s across the country. The CS issued the directive this week amidst an ongoing push and pull between schools and the ministry over the necessary covid-19 regulations within schools. As the Ministry insists that all institutions must meet certain standards to assure the safety of students, school heads are complaining over the lack of adequate resources to meet the specified standards.
Speaking at Our Lady of Fatima Girls Secondary School in Kariobangi North, Magoha instructed all the teachers to confiscate all bottle sanitizers from students. He also added that no students should be allowed into schools with the bottle sanitizers. “I want to tell teachers that they must not allow small-bottle sanitizers into schools. If any child has a portable sanitizer, it should be taken and kept and given when the child is leaving school. We have already seen that a fire was started using a sanitizer in one of the schools.” CS Magoha
The CS was referring to a school fire that broke out in a dormitory in Cheborge Boys High School in Kericho County on Monday. “The twin dormitory held 300 students with one side having been destroyed by the fire,” stated Joseph Birdai, the Bureti sub-county director of education. Students were not able to salvage much after the school fire as confirmed by the school principal Mr Alfred Abuya. “Beds, mattresses, blankets, school uniforms, books and other items belonging to the students have been reduced to ashes,” noted a dejected principal.
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CS Magoha had initially directed teachers to allow students to get into schools with the portable sanitizers, an order that he is now recalling.
As the IQRU, we advise students not to engage in any form of violent or destructive acts while in school. STOP THE FIRE!
