Thursday, September 12, 2024 – The jobs of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba and Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang are now hanging in the balance.
This is after Elimu Bora Working Group (EBWG)
and Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) called for their immediate
resignation following the demise of at least 21 pupils at the Hillside
Endarasha Academy fire tragedy in Nyeri.
In a statement, the lobby groups accused the
two government officials, alongside others in Nyeri, of failing to fulfill the
mandate to which they were appointed to undertake.
According to EBWG, CS Ogamba, and Kipsang
failed to protect the affected pupils in the Hillside tragedy by ensuring that
schools across the country were safe.
"Education CS Ogamba, PS Kipsang, and the
Ministry’s Quality and Standards Assurance Team in Nyeri must resign and take
full responsibility for this disaster," the lobby groups stated.
"Those responsible for inspecting the
school and ensuring safety standards must be held accountable," the
commission added.
KHRC also demanded swift action against the
Hillside Endarasha school administration of the Hillside Endarasha Academy
because the incident occurred under their watch.
The Ministry of Education was further pushed
to provide the affected parents with all relevant information concerning the
tragedy, including the students’ safety and whereabouts.
KHRC revealed that it was in the final stages
of preparing a petition against those found culpable of negligence and failure
to enforce proper safety standards that led to the deaths of these students.
The statement by the lobby group came barely
an hour after CS Julius Ogamba ordered the mandatory inspection of all schools
across the country.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
0 Comments