Activist Boniface Mwangi has called for urgent reforms in Kenya’s boarding schools following the deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, where several students are feared dead.

In a post on his X account on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Mwangi said the tragedy reflects long-standing failures in school safety and accountability. He argued that school dormitories have been designed in ways that put children at risk during emergencies.

“Since 1991, Kenya has lost over 200 children in school fires. Yet not a single adult has been arrested or jailed for negligence, not even the architects who designed these dormitories as death traps,” he wrote.

He said school dormitories should not function like detention spaces where children cannot escape during fires.

“School dormitories should not be prisons where children are locked in and cannot escape in case of fire,” Mwangi stated, adding that officials in the Ministry of Education who approve such designs must also take responsibility.

The Utumishi fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday morning. Authorities said the blaze started around 1 am, with the Kenya Red Cross reporting the incident at about 3.30 am. Emergency teams were deployed to the school as rescue and recovery efforts continued.

Mwangi linked the tragedy to past incidents, including the 2017 fire at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi, where 10 students died in overcrowded dormitories.

“In 2017, ten girls died at Moi Girls High School because their dormitory was dangerously overcrowded, with beds packed side by side like sardines,” he said.

He also cited the 2024 fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, where 21 boys lost their lives. He said repeated tragedies show that lessons have not been learnt.

“These deaths failed to move the government to conduct a comprehensive safety audit of all boarding schools,” he wrote.

Demands school safety overhaul

Mwangi also criticised what he described as weak enforcement of accountability, saying that no officials or regulators have been held responsible for unsafe conditions in schools.

“No Ministry of Education officials or state regulators who approved the unsafe dormitories have been charged, suspended, or even lost their jobs,” he said.

He warned that if the state cannot guarantee safety in boarding schools, the country must rethink the system.

“If the government cannot guarantee the safety of our children in boarding schools, we must gradually phase out these mini-jails,” he stated.

Mwangi further called for tough legal action against those found responsible for negligence leading to loss of life. He said corruption in public systems has deadly consequences.

“Corruption kills. That is why I propose a radical solution: those whose corruption or negligence leads to loss of life should face severe sentences,” he wrote.

He also proposed long-term reforms in education infrastructure, calling for equal standards across the country.

“As your president, I guarantee the standardisation of all public schools across Kenya. A school in Turkana will have the same facilities, laboratories, libraries, and classrooms as one in Nairobi,” he added.