A horrific dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, has left 16 students confirmed dead and 74 others hospitalized. The catastrophic early morning blaze has triggered national heartbreak and intense scrutiny over school safety. In response, the Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU). Led by National Secretary-General Brown Ashira Olaly, the union issued an urgent press statement demanding an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation to determine if the institution violated statutory housing, structural, and electrical safety standards.
Anchoring its demands in the Constitution of Kenya and the Public Health Act, the union is calling for the immediate nationwide deployment of Public Health Officers (PHOs) to all learning institutions. KEHPHPU argues that the tragedy underscores a long-ignored failure in structural enforcement and disaster preparedness. Under national legal frameworks, these officers are mandated to strictly inspect school infrastructure, enforce fire safety compliance, monitor dormitory occupancy limits, and manage emergency exit accessibility to prevent future disasters.
Additionally, the union strongly opposed the ongoing “clinicalisation” of school health initiatives, arguing that preventive and promotive programs are being weakened by shifting them to clinical staff. KEHPHPU insists that critical safety operations, including waste management, disease surveillance, and environmental sanitation, must remain under the specialized coordination of PHOs. In its closing call to action, the union emphasized that school safety must become a binding national priority, warning that no learner should ever lose their life to preventable compliance failures.
About the Author
