By Hassan Abdi Omar

The recent spate of school fires in Kenya has once again raised difficult questions about the safety of our learners. From the Kyanguli Secondary School tragedy in 2001 to the Moi Girls School fire in 2017, the Hillside Endarasha tragedy in 2024 and the recent Utumishi Girls School fire, the pattern is disturbingly familiar.

Public debate frequently focuses on the immediate causes of these incidents, whether arson, faulty electrical wiring, overcrowding, poor infrastructure, or negligence. While these factors are important, they do not tell the whole story. School fires are not merely safety failures; they are a reflection of broader shortcomings in protecting children’s rights and creating safe, inclusive, and human rights-compliant learning environments.

School fires do not occur in a vacuum. They are often the visible manifestation of deeper challenges within the education system including unresolved learner grievances, inadequate psychosocial support, weak accountability mechanisms, and limited participation of learners in decisions affecting their welfare.

These are precisely some of the concerns identified by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in its assessment of Human Rights Education (HRE) and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7 in Kenya.

In 2021, KNCHR, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, undertook a survey in Nairobi, Machakos, and Kajiado counties to assess the status of Human Rights Education in Kenya. The study examined five critical areas: education policy, curricula, learning environment, student assessment, and teacher training. The findings provide important insights into the systemic weaknesses that continue to undermine learner safety and well-being.

One of the most alarming findings was that 84 percent of schools surveyed lacked trained and professional counsellors. In many institutions, guidance and counselling responsibilities were assigned to teachers without specialized training. This finding is particularly significant given that many school fire incidents have historically been associated with student frustration, bullying, academic pressure, mental health challenges, and unresolved grievances. Without adequate psychosocial support, schools may fail to identify early warning signs of distress or provide learners with constructive channels for resolving their concerns.

The survey also revealed that education policies and guidelines are often developed through a top-down approach with limited participation by actors at county, sub-county, and school levels. Human rights-based education emphasizes participation, inclusion, and accountability.

When learners, teachers, and school communities are excluded from decisions affecting them, policies become less responsive to realities on the ground and grievances remain unresolved. Learner participation is not merely a governance issue; it is a fundamental human rights principle and a critical component of school safety.

Equally concerning was the finding that Kenya lacks a harmonized monitoring and evaluation framework for Human Rights Education and SDG 4.7 implementation. Although various institutions have oversight responsibilities, there is no coordinated system for tracking progress, measuring impact, and ensuring accountability. As a result, reliable data on the status of Human Rights Education remains limited. This mirrors a broader challenge in school safety, where recommendations arising from previous fire investigations are frequently made but inadequately implemented, and allowing similar tragedies to recur.

The survey further highlighted weaknesses in learning environments, including inadequate infrastructure, unequal distribution of educational resources, and limited accessibility for learners with disabilities. Safe learning environments are central to both quality education and human rights. Schools that lack adequate safety measures, emergency preparedness mechanisms, counselling services, and inclusive infrastructure cannot fully guarantee learners’ rights to life, dignity, health, and education.

The Constitution of Kenya guarantees every child’s right to life, dignity, education, and protection from harm. These rights are reinforced by Kenya’s obligations under international and regional human rights instruments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. When children perish or suffer injuries in preventable school fires, the nation must confront the reality that these fundamental rights have been violated.

School fires also undermine the right to education. Learning is disrupted, infrastructure is destroyed, and survivors often carry lifelong physical and psychological scars. Some learners never fully recover from the trauma, while others are forced to transfer schools or abandon their education altogether. The impact extends beyond individual learners to families and communities that must cope with grief, loss, and uncertainty.

Yet there is reason for optimism. KNCHR’s engagements with teachers, education officials, and other stakeholders revealed a strong willingness to embrace human rights principles within the education sector. There is growing recognition that schools must not only produce academic excellence but also nurture values of dignity, equality, participation, accountability, peaceful coexistence, and respect for human rights.

Kenya has made significant progress in expanding access to education through Free Primary Education, subsidized secondary education, and the 100 percent transition policy. These initiatives have enabled millions of children to access their right to education. However, access alone is not enough. The quality, safety, and inclusivity of the learning environment are equally important. A child who fears for their safety in a dormitory cannot fully enjoy the right to education.

The Government’s efforts to establish a Technical Working Group to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for SDG 4.7 are commendable. However, much more remains to be done. There is an urgent need to strengthen Human Rights Education across the education sector, establish professional counselling services in schools, promote learner participation, create human rights clubs, and invest in continuous capacity-building for teachers and education officials.

School safety must also be treated as a governance and accountability issue. Fire audits should be mandatory and conducted regularly. Emergency exits, alarms, and firefighting equipment should be functional in every institution. Learners must have accessible grievance mechanisms and safe channels through which they can report concerns. School administrators and relevant authorities must be held accountable where negligence contributes to loss of life or injury.

Most importantly, Kenya must adopt a holistic human rights-based approach to education. Human Rights Education is not an abstract concept. It is about creating school environments where learners feel safe, respected, heard, and valued. It is about empowering learners with knowledge, skills, and values that promote peaceful conflict resolution, mutual respect, and responsible citizenship.

If Kenya is to prevent future school fire tragedies, the conversation must move beyond emergency response and criminal investigations. It must address the underlying human rights deficits within our schools. Safe schools are not merely buildings equipped with fire extinguishers and emergency exits; they are environments where learners are protected, supported, and able to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives.

It is also time to rethink the role of boarding schools in today’s education system. With advances in technology, improved transport and changing family structures, their relevance is increasingly being questioned. Many argue for stronger investment in day schools, where learners can access quality education while remaining closer to their families and communities, and with reduced exposure to risks.

The recurring tragedy of school fires should serve as a wake-up call. Protecting children requires more than rebuilding dormitories after disaster strikes. It requires building a culture of human rights, accountability, participation, prevention, and respect for human dignity throughout the education system.

Kenya’s children deserve schools where they can learn, grow, and thrive in safety and dignity. Ensuring this is not merely an education policy objective; it is a constitutional obligation, a human rights imperative, and a national responsibility that we can no longer afford to neglect.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Wajir Today. The article is intended to contribute to public debate and inclusive discourse. Any reference to individuals or events are made in good faith and in the public interest.  To contribute articles  to Wajir Today send your opinion ideas to newsroom@wajirtoday.co.ke