Joy Wanjiku buried her twin sister Mercy Precious on Saturday and walked away from the graveside with three documents in her hands. Each one told a story of a government that keeps promising and keeps failing.
The first was the School Safety Manual, written after 67 boys burned alive at Kyanguli. The second was a recently passed bill allocating Ksh5.3 billion to government trips. The third was a list of school fire tragedies spanning decades including Kyanguli, Moi Girls Nairobi, Hillside Endarasha, and now Utumishi Girls.
“The cycle continues,” Wanjiku said, her voice breaking as she addressed mourners.
She told the gathering that a 2024 government audit found 348 schools were not complying with the School Safety Manual. Nothing was done. Months later, her sister was dead.
“How can we stop these fires in our schools? Enforce the School Safety Manual and treat it like a constitution. School principals who fail to comply should face a minimum jail term of 10 years. Any officer who allows an unsafe school to operate should face at least five years in prison. No bail and no bond,” she demanded.
Wanjiku reminded mourners that Mercy Precious was a school captain who believed true leaders go last. She then turned that lesson into a question for Kenya’s leadership.
“Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna suggested many of these measures long ago but Parliament said they were too expensive. How many children will we bury before too expensive becomes too evil to say?” she asked.
Mercy Precious was among the 16 students who perished in the Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire. Her twin left the burial not just grieving but demanding justice.