Magoha to appear before Senate team over deadly classroom collapse
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha and his Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang are expected to appear on Monday before a Senate committee to shed light on the infrastructural state of schools in the country.
This is after Senate Deputy Speaker, Prof Kithure Kindiki, directed on Wednesday that the two state officers appear before the Senate Committee on Education to explain the circumstances under which a private school that collapsed and killed eight pupils and injured 64 others was licensed.
The owner of the school, Mr Moses Wainaina, has since been arrested, charged and the school licence revoked.
Declaring the death of the eight learners a national disaster, Kindiki described the incident as grave, saying it touched the entire country.
“We lost seven children and that is not a small number and it would not have been small even if we lost one child because one child is big enough a number. For that reason, I direct the committee on education to be seized of this matter,” Prof Kindiki ordered.
He continued: “I will not give the committee the traditional two weeks but I will give them one week. They should look for the people who are involved in all aspects including those involved in physical planning, and those who give approvals in the county government.”
Kindiki was reacting to a statement requested by nominated Senator Millicent Omanga from the Senate Committee on Education regarding the fatalities caused by the collapse of a classroom at Precious Top Talent School in Dagoretti South, Nairobi City County, which led to the death of eight pupils and over 60 injuries.
Among the issues, Senator Omanga wants to be addressed is for the government to explain the legal and disciplinary measures if any, that the national government will take against the persons responsible for constructing an unapproved building that placed the pupils’ lives in danger.
“Outline the measures the national Government is putting in place to ensure that set infrastructure standards are adhered to by the construction companies and enforced by the National Construction Authority (NCA) to curb the recurrence of such incidences,” the senator noted.
On his part, Wajir Senator Abdullahi Ali said the problem with Kenya is greed and corruption which has captured all sectors of the economy.
“With this greed, we will kill all our children and ourselves as well. People just want to look for money in whichever way, by creating whatever sort of funny businesses they can,” he said.
