ADVERT 
By Austine Ogollah
Every time a school fire occurs in Kenya, the nation mourns, leaders issue statements, investigations are launched, and promises of reforms are made. Yet after the mourning period ends, little changes until the next tragedy strikes.
The painful truth is that school fires are not merely a safety problem; they are a symptom of a larger question that Kenya has avoided for decades: Is the boarding school model still suitable for today’s society?
Boarding schools were established during a different era. They were designed to provide education to learners who lived far from schools and to maximize limited educational resources. However, Kenya has since made significant investments in educational infrastructure, bringing schools closer to communities than ever before. The justification for keeping millions of children away from their families for most of the year deserves renewed scrutiny.
Most school fires occur in dormitories. The victims are often asleep, locked inside, or unable to escape in time. If learners were studying from schools within their communities and returning home daily, the risk of mass casualties from dormitory fires would be significantly reduced.
Beyond safety concerns, boarding schools have also become environments where students spend extended periods away from parental guidance and emotional support. While many institutions provide excellent care, others struggle with overcrowding, inadequate supervision, bullying, and growing mental health challenges among learners. Parents often discover problems only after they have escalated.
The recurring cycle of school unrest, dormitory arson, and student tragedies suggests that the current model may require more than safety upgrades. It may require a complete rethink.
This does not mean abolishing boarding schools overnight. There will always be regions where boarding facilities remain necessary due to distance and geographical challenges. However, policymakers should begin a national conversation on gradually shifting towards a predominantly day-school system, especially in urban and densely populated areas where learners can easily commute.
Such a transition would reduce pressure on schools to provide residential services, lower the costs associated with boarding facilities, strengthen family involvement in children’s lives, and potentially reduce the likelihood of catastrophic incidents affecting hundreds of students at once.
Predictably, opponents will argue that boarding schools improve academic performance, discipline, and access to learning. These arguments deserve consideration. However, they must be weighed against the repeated loss of young lives and the growing evidence that academic success does not depend solely on residential schooling.
The question facing Kenya is no longer whether school fires can be prevented. It is whether we are willing to examine the system that repeatedly places thousands of children in environments where a single fire can turn into a national tragedy.
As the country mourns yet another school fire, perhaps the time has come to ask a difficult but necessary question: Are boarding schools part of the solution, or have they become part of the problem?
The debate may be uncomfortable, but the cost of avoiding it could be measured in young lives.
