The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Julius Migos Ogamba, appeared before the National Assembly this afternoon to respond to questions on the Ministry’s efforts to improve student safety following the recent tragedy at Hillside Endarasha School in Nyeri County, where a fire claimed the lives of 21 students.

In his remarks, CS Ogamba expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims, describing the incident as a “most unfortunate and regrettable tragedy.” He emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to preventing such events from occurring again, stating that an internal investigation was underway to evaluate the school’s compliance with safety standards.

“The Ministry is undertaking an internal investigation to ascertain the school’s compliance with the requisite safety standards. We have committed to take appropriate action if this internal self-assessment reveals a failure on the part of our officers,” said the CS.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. Moses Wetang’ula challenged the CS to explain why no action had been taken yet to hold those responsible for the fire accountable. He pressed the Ministry on the possibility of criminal negligence or arson, citing the locked doors that prevented students from escaping the blaze.

“In such an incident, where a fire burnt down a school consuming and killing many children, one would have expected that by now, there must be some criminal culpability somewhere, either an arson or negligence on somebody who locked in the students so that they could not escape the fire,” said the Speaker.

In response, CS Ogamba explained that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was still conducting its investigation, which is why no action had yet been taken on criminal charges. However, he assured the House that once the DCI report was complete, the Ministry would act against any individuals found responsible.

“I want to give my assurance to this House that if there is anybody, including our officers, who did not do their work, we are going to take action against them. Both criminal and administrative based on the report,” Ogamba said.

The CS’s appearance followed growing concerns over school safety, and the tragedy at Hillside Endarasha has prompted national discussions about improving security and emergency preparedness in learning institutions across Kenya.

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