Students must understand that there are consequences when they set other human beings on fire.
When I visited Naivasha maximum prison I met the only suspect sentenced to death for the May 24, 1999 arson attack in Nyeri High School that claimed the lives of four prefects.
The student was 33 years old or thereabout when I met him. He was convicted by a juvenile court and later committed to life imprisonment after he turned 18.
The 2001 Kyanguli fire tragedy claimed the lives of 67 students. Two 16-year-olds were arrested and charged with murder. The judge handling the matter resigned in 2006 amid corruption-related allegations. A new judge declared the court matter a mistrial.
I took my time with the file, and it was clear that someone had done everything to make sure the two boys escaped justice. I tracked one down to an office in the CBD. He is somewhere out here.
The July 13, 1991, St Kizito High School massacre remains the most disturbing and heart-wrenching story I have covered.
The boys stormed the girls' dormitory. Reason? They had refused to join them in a strike.
In the ensuing violence, 71 school girls were raped and 19 of them lost their lives, mostly due to suffocation after being tightly packed into a corner during the attack.
Some were arrested and as usual, parents worked the justice system and many escaped the hangmanโs noose.
But in a dark twist of events, most of the accused โturned madโ, and others ended up as drunks.
I remember visiting a lady now in her fifties who was still overwhelmed by the events of that night- oh she cried.
I met most of the boys then now men. Drunkards. Wasted.
Letโs see how the tragic Utumishi Fire tragedy plays out but if the prosecution proves those arrested are involved, it will be the end of school and freedom.
I have been to Nyeri, St Kizito, Kyanguli, Endarasha, and Bombolulu Girls' High School.
It's a life-changing experience!
No amount of justice or compensation can bring back the lives lost.
@FaibaJTL Your call services are terrible infact criminal to treat paying customers that way. Calls terminate for no reason and that annoying voice..... Aaaaargh
Across Africa, the global surge in oil prices driven by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues to weigh on economies, household incomes and the cost of living. Governments in several countries have introduced emergency measures to cushion consumers, businesses and transport operators from rising fuel costs. However, those interventions have often fallen short, triggering protests and strikes as the economic pressure deepens.
Three months ago today, a war began that no one voted for โ and the cost has been paid by people who had no say in it.
Thousands of civilians have lost their lives. Thirteen U.S. servicemembers will never come home to their families.
Americans across this country and our city have watched prices rise at the pump and the grocery store, their budgets strained by a conflict launched without a single vote of Congress.
Every life lost abroad and every dollar squeezed from a working family here is part of the same reckless bill, handed to the people who could least afford it by those who will never pay it themselves.
I opposed this war from the first day. I oppose it still. It must end.