This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
On September 23, 2019, a devastating building collapse at Precious Talent School in Nairobi left seven pupils dead and 64 others injured.
According to Education CS Prof. George Magoha, the tragedy could have been avoided if the owners had followed the rules.
Prof. Magoha stated that the owners constructed an additional floor to the single-storey building without seeking approval, putting the pupils' lives in danger.
“I have been to all the other classrooms and in my most humble opinion they are stable. So if a spade must be called a spade ahead of the investigations, you notice that somebody went and build another storey on top of the temporary structure. If you go ahead and do so without anybody’s approval I think we should be fair to each other including being fair to government,” said Magoha.
Prof. Magoha also expressed concerns that the school owners may have flouted regulations on school operating hours, as the pupils were in class before 7am.
“Anybody who goes against the ministry’s official hours for children to be in school must be answerable to somebody. Everybody must comply whether public or private,” said Magoha.
Following the incident, Prof. Magoha directed that Precious Talent School be closed for a week to allow for investigations and thorough inspections of the buildings.
