DCP’s Peter Mbae blames state negligence over deadly school fire incident

DCP Party Secretary for Planning and Economic Affairs Peter Mbae has accused government officials of negligence following a deadly school incident, alleging systemic failures in oversight, weak supervision, and poor emergency preparedness that he says contributed to student deaths.

Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday, Mbae claimed that key education and inspection authorities should be held accountable, pointing to what he describes as blocked emergency exits, poor institutional supervision, and delayed accountability mechanisms.

“The backstop of the government, that is pure government negligence,” he said, expressing frustration over the handling of the incident.

He added that those responsible for oversight “should be in that dock, besides the BOM, and Education Ministry officials, who are supposed to inspect that school.”

The DCP official further alleged that emergency systems failed at a critical moment.

“The exit emergency was locked from inside with a wooden bar,” he said, arguing that students were left unable to escape during the incident. “That’s why 10 of them died there,” he added, insisting that such failures point to structural negligence rather than isolated error.

Mbae also announced legal action against the state, saying affected families are preparing to sue.

“We have already started our lawyers to follow every documentation with a view to suing government,” he said, adding that the families will also pursue compensation and accountability from top officials.

He insisted that “we can’t let this go” and called for investigations spanning what he described as “government from top to bottom.”

His remarks come amid growing concern over school safety in Kenya following a series of fire incidents in boarding schools.

The most deadly in recent years occurred on May 28, 2026 at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, where 16 students died and several others were injured in a dormitory fire that shocked the country.

In response to such tragedies, the government ordered a nationwide audit of all boarding schools to assess safety compliance, infrastructure readiness, and emergency preparedness, including inspection of dormitories and evacuation systems.

Lawmakers have also stepped in with Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo calling for a review of children’s access to the internet and wider digital exposure in schools, linking it to rising cases of unrest and discipline challenges.

Parliamentary discussions have also included proposals to establish a committee to investigate the growing wave of school unrest following the Utumishi tragedy.

“As we examine ourselves and agree with the majority leader, we must examine the values that we are instilling the children. We must examine the place of religion,” Otiende said.

“Many of us, when we were growing up, raising a child was a collective responsibility. Now it has been left to the parent and the teacher,” he added.

Mbae, however, argues that focus should remain on institutional accountability rather than student behaviour alone.

“What about your supervisors, inspectors? Who should have owned head?” he asked, insisting that failures at administrative level must be addressed.