As the stakeholders in the education sector spend sleepless nights trying to figure out what could be the solution to the continued and prevalent torching of school dormitories, Milo High school in Webuye Bungoma county was the latest to see students being sent home after the dormitory that houses more than 200 students was burnt with property of unknown value being destroyed.
The problem that has triggered President Uhuru Kenyatta to finally open up and give his mind over the escalation of arson cases in schools across the country over the last month. He in an angry and angered tone warned those behind the wave of school fires that they will be dealt with firmly according to the law, as the government seeks solutions to the challenges facing the education sector.
According to the students, there was tension that saw police officers come to man the school on Friday evening after angry students realized that one of them was alleged to have died after he was beaten by a teacher when he was found sleeping in the class during preps.
The police ensured order was maintained and the students had retired to bed amidst of the tension that engulfed the school.
Up to the time the students took to the morning studies everything was in order and that was enough to dupe the in charge police officer that normalcy had been successfully restored.
The police in charge headed back to the work station but even before he was at the station the dormitory was already on fire.
The students confirmed that the fire was reported to have started at 4.30 in the morning saying that some property was salvaged while the ones who spent where the fire started was at the receiving end of the roaring blaze although none of the students was hurt in the process.
The school principal who refused to address the allegation of the student being beaten by one of the teachers to death said that the matter was in the hands of the police and that already the police had launched investigations to ascertain the cause of the fire and that stern action will be taken against anyone who will be found culpable of the offense.
The school has since been closed indefinitely with the form four students being given a chance to sit their last geography paper of the ongoing Bungoma County examination and on advice of the county director to vacate the school until investigations were done.
