Deadly school fires raise pertinent safety questions
Parents grieve after visiting the scene where children died in a fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County on September 6, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The appointment of a team to audit the national debt is of serious concern.
- Could Kamala Harris outperform Donald Trump in the race to the White House?
School inspection • School fires such as the one in Nyeri County in which over 20 pupils perished raise some pertinent safety questions, says Peter John. “Does the Education ministry have a health and safety team to inspect schools before they are licensed, and annually? Do all schools have fire extinguishers and exit doors? All we see are doors and windows with grills.” His contact is [email protected].
***
Debt audit • The appointment of a team to audit the national debt is of serious concern to Ruth Gituma. “What have we been paying if we aren’t fully aware of the debt status? Do we know how the borrowed funds were used? How much has been borrowed, and what has been repaid? We also need to scrutinise the expenditure on projects, particularly infrastructure like roads.” Her contact is [email protected].
***
High risk • While it was good for President William Ruto to fly to China by Kenya Airways with Raila Odinga and others, Michael Hatego’s insurance broker’s mind has been in overdrive. Says he: “We always advise clients not to allow senior personnel to use the same flight, car, etc, because of high ‘risk accumulation’, should, God forbid, an accident occur.” His contact is [email protected].
***
Diligent • When he was just about to give up on Kenya Power, Patrick Mbataru says, he got added to the utility’s Thika emergency team’s WhatsApp group, and his attitude has changed. “Behind the image of an incompetent and heartless near-monopoly are diligent engineers working under very difficult circumstances to ensure customers have power. Kudos to them!” His contact is [email protected].
***
US polls • Watching opinion polls, Alnashir D. Walji is wondering whether US Vice-President Kamala Harris could in November outperform Donald Trump in the race to the White House. “If elected, she will become the first female president, but she has yet to prove her mettle. Trump has oratory, but is this enough to clinch him victory? Kudos to American democracy!” His contact is [email protected].
Have a democratic day, won’t you!
