Kericho Governor directs safety audit of all boarding schools amid rising student unrest
By Aloys Michael, June 4, 2026Kericho Governor Erick Mutai has ordered all boarding schools to undergo a safety audit within the next 10 days to ensure the facilities meet the required safety standards.
In a statement on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, Mutahi stated that the county was undertaking a multi-stakeholder approach involving security agencies to curb unrest within schools, arguing that in the wake of unrest in boarding schools in the country, the audit would help provide a secure environment for the learners in Kericho.
“All boarding schools in Kericho County will undergo a safety compliance assessment within the next ten days to ensure that boarding facilities meet the required safety standards and provide a secure environment for our learners,” the governor wrote on Facebook.
“We have also urged school administrators to build stronger rapport with learners by talking with them, not to them, and by fostering open communication that promotes trust, guidance, and mentorship.”
The Governor, alongside Kericho County Commissioner Ali Omar, County Director of Education Julius Ng’oneshi, and other stakeholders, led a Heads of Educational Institutions Quality Assurance Meeting in response to recent school unrest reported across the country.
The directives come days after the Ministry of Education ordered a fresh round of inspections in all boarding schools across the country following the deadly dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil that claimed 16 lives.
Speaking during an Elimu Mashinani education event in Wajir County on Sunday, May 31. 2026, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok announced that education officials had been directed to carry out inspections in all boarding schools over the next 10 days beginning Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
According to Bitok, the exercise will focus on student safety and compliance with established standards.
“We have directed our officers to do very thorough inspections in the next 10 days at all boarding schools to confirm afresh whether they are meeting the safety standards and give recommendations,” Bitok stated.
He warned that school administrators found violating safety regulations would face consequences.
“And we are going to take very serious actions against any principal, any school, any teacher that deliberately violates the safety standards,” he added.
The directive came amid growing concern over recurring school fires, many of which have resulted in deaths and injuries.
The latest tragedy occurred on May 28, 2026, when a fire swept through the Meline Waithera Dormitory at Utumishi Girls, killing 16 students and injuring others.
Preliminary findings raised concerns about overcrowding, with reports indicating the dormitory housed more students than its intended capacity and some learners slept in hallways instead of designated cubicles.