This archive report was first published on 24 September 2019.
Blame Game as 7 Pupils Die in Classroom Collapse in Kenya ¶
On Monday, September 23, 2019, a devastating classroom collapse at Precious Talent Academy in Nairobi, Kenya, claimed the lives of seven pupils and injured at least 64 others.
The school, located in the Dagoretti South Constituency, had been a disaster waiting to happen due to its poor infrastructure. The school's compound had no proper structures to accommodate the over 800 pupils who attended the school, and the buildings were made of weak materials such as wooden pillars and iron rods.
According to Brian Ajega, a resident who helped with the rescue efforts, the ground floor of the building was made of wood, while the upper floors were made of concrete. Meshack Nyabuto, an administrator at the local chief's office, revealed that some pupils had complained about the shaking structure, but the school failed to act upon these concerns.
Speaking at the scene, Moses Nyakiongora, secretary of the National Buildings Inspectorate, termed the school building 'a structural failure and a work of quackery.' He added that the school owner, Moses Wainaina, had exposed learners to death.
Wainaina, however, blamed the collapse on Nairobi City County, claiming that the county's recent digging of a sewer line behind the classrooms had weakened the building's foundation. The school headteacher echoed Wainaina's claims, stating that a sewer line passed under the structure and that strengthening the one-storey building would require bringing it down entirely.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha partly blamed Wainaina and the teachers who teach at Precious Talents, stating that the weak storey structure the pupils had been crammed in should not have been erected. He also faulted the early reporting time of the pupils, which he said was too early for learners in pre-primary.
Locals leaders believe that almost all stakeholders have let down the children and parents of Precious Talents and the entire Ng'ando Ward. Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie blamed the disaster on the national and county governments, saying they had left the people of Ng'ando to their devices.
