A devastating fire at a Kenyan boarding school has killed at least 19 children, triggering an investigation into the failure of UK-funded safety reforms intended to prevent such disasters. Sources confirm that the blaze broke out overnight at Moi Girls School in Nairobi, where dormitories were locked from the outside, trapping pupils inside.
Uncovered documents show that the UK Department for International Development (DFID) allocated £10 million to a school safety programme in 2018, promising fire drills, unlocked exits, and sprinkler systems. But according to internal emails obtained by this paper, only 40% of the funds were disbursed before the programme was quietly shelved last year. A whistleblower from the Kenyan Ministry of Education stated: ‘The money went into consultancy fees and seminars. The actual hardware never arrived.’
Survivors describe hearing screams as flames engulfed the wooden dormitory. ‘We banged on the doors, but they were bolted from outside. The teachers had the keys,’ a 14-year-old girl told this reporter, her voice shaking. Firefighters arrived 40 minutes late, their trucks lacking water. The tragedy recalls the 2001 Kyanguli fire that killed 67 students, after which UK aid promised reform. Yet 23 years later, similar failures persist.
Government officials are now scrambling to blame the school’s private management. But a forensic audit of DFID’s safety programme, leaked to this paper, reveals that British auditors flagged ‘systemic non-compliance’ in 95% of inspected schools, including locked exits and missing fire extinguishers. The report was buried. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘We take these allegations seriously and are reviewing our records.’
This is not just a Kenyan tragedy. It is a story of unaccountable power, where British taxpayers’ money vanishes into a black hole of bureaucracy, and children pay with their lives. The question now: who knew, and who will answer?
