We are highly alert on issues of school fire, Government says.

 Kisumu County Commissioner Maalim Mohamed addressing the press in Kisumu on Tuesday. He said the Government is very much highly alert on the issue fire incidences in schools.Photo By Dickson Odhiambo.

By Dickson Odhiambo.

September 6, 2017.

We are highly alert on issues of school fire, Government says.

The Government is very much highly alert on the issue fire incidences in schools, Kisumu County Commissioner Maalim Mohamed has said.

Maalim said the Government is very much concerned with any kind of fire incident in schools within Kisumu County and is committed to ensure that no fire incident occurred in the learning institutions.

Speaking in Kisumu after meeting both the County Director of Education and the TSC County Director together with all the seven Sub-County Directors of Education on discussing the safety standards in schools, Maalim said the recent fire incident in Sigoti Girls secondary school in Nyakach Sub-County is being investigated thoroughly.

He says the investigations rules out the issue of an electric fault and suspects a foul play in the whole matter.

He says the Nyakach Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigation Officer to bring the suspect to book so as to face charge on arson.

“We want to rule out the issue of any speculations on electric fault as this is purely foul play as I had said earlier, it is an arson case and we expect the DCIO of Nyakach to bring the suspect to book,” Maalim says.

The administrator says the Government has instructed all the Seven Sub-County Directors of Education to hold consultative forums in all the seven sub-counties to discuss the issue of safety standards in learning institutions.

He adds that the Government is keenly watching a number of schools within Kisumu County.

He has directed all the Sub-Counties Quality Assurance and Standards Officers to visit schools within Kisumu County and carry out thorough investigation on the various complains received and make appropriate reports to the Government.

Maalim says the Government will ensure that all schools have fire extinguishers through the ministry of Education.

“We have also learned that majority of our institutions do not have firefighting equipment and as a government, we want to ensure that such a measure is put in place,” he adds.

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