School heads in Kiambu have been asked to implement the safety manual for schools which was introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2008 outlining measures they should take in an event of a fire outbreak.
Speaking in his office on Monday, Kiambu education officer Mr Harrison Muriuki said that the manual is a vital tool for fire disaster preparedness in school especially boarding schools, as fire in schools is a major public concern.
He cited the wave of unrest that has hit the county after several schools were closed down following their dormitories being burned down by unknown arsonists leading to injuries, loss of lives, paralysing of education and destruction of property.
The officer explained that the safety manual requires the space between beds to be 1.2 meters, corridors should be not less than two meters wide and students should not share beds in a bid to minimise overcrowding in the dormitories.
He added that each dorm should have a fire extinguisher and at least two doors so that it can be easy to exit in case of an inferno.
"There is need to implement the manual failure to which there will be dire consequences like schools being closed down until they comply with the policy," said Muriuki.
The officer lauded stakeholders for equipping teachers, non-teaching staff and students with information that will help combat disaster in case it occurs.
Muriuki noted that fire outbreaks have over the years been linked to faulty electrical wires, arsonists with ill motives in the society and students setting their dormitories ablaze intentionally to paralyse learning due to fear of exams or when they are protesting over issues.
He said that students should not resort to destruction as there are other ways of voicing their concerns adding that students should prepare for exams so that they do not panic and end up devising criminal ways to escape the test.
The officer said any student who will be arrested for planning and executing arson will serve as a deterrent to the rest adding that boarding schools should continue to be perceived as a safe place where parents leave their children to learn, away from the distractions of the society.