Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan believes installation of CCTV cameras in schools will stem students’ unrest and asked school administrators to embrace it.
Speaking during an education stakeholder meeting at Homa Bay High School, Lilan encouraged Principals to install the gadgets within their schools to increase security surveillance noting it will be easier to identify culprits and or catch the suspects before the incidents occur.
Lilan said his office has settled on constituting a multi-agency team to deal with the unrest issue.
“We have resolved to constitute a multi-agency security team at the sub county levels to build capacity within schools for early detection and management of indiscipline cases within our institutions,” Lilan said.
The administrator further explained that the team would develop a network of contacts on information gathering and sharing so as to open communication between the schools, the security departments, the community as well as the students.
He noted that the increase in arson cases was undermining the government’s effort to ensure schools have sufficient facilities especially with the implementation of the new Competency-Based Curriculum.
“Students need to understand that these acts of lawlessness being reported are criminal offenses and will be met with the full force of the law,” added Lilan.
Lilan warned that the government would deal firmly with student offenders as stipulated in the law.
The County Director of Education Eunice Khaemba told school Principals to adhere to the directives of the Ministry of Education prohibiting irregular student transfers noting that a number of arson cases have been due to the transfer of students from previously affected schools.
“We are aware that some of our schools have been going against the directive of the Ministry of Education and admitting students from schools that have been razed down without vetting them, let these students stay in their schools and rebuild them,” said Khaemba.
The meeting was attended by secondary school heads as well as representatives from the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education (KUPPET), Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESHA) and officers from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
By Omar Zabbibah and Langat
