Sixteen children dead. A school in central Kenya turned to ash. And now the calls are coming: demands for a full British-led safety audit across every Commonwealth school.
The fire ripped through the dormitory of Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County late last night. Pupils, many as young as nine, were trapped. The official death toll stands at 16, but sources on the ground whisper that number could rise.
Whitehall is watching. Closely. The Foreign Office has offered technical assistance. But the real action is happening behind closed doors. A group of backbench Conservative MPs, led by the influential chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Kenya, is drafting a private letter to the Prime Minister. They want a mandatory safety inspection regime for all schools in the Commonwealth that receive British aid or have UK-linked governing bodies.
“This is a scandal waiting to happen again,” a senior Tory source told me. “We cannot have another Grenfell in the classroom. The UK has a moral responsibility. We built many of these schools. We need to ensure they are safe.”
Labour is circling. Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy is preparing a statement calling for an immediate review. He will accuse the government of “neglect” if it does not act. The Lib Dems will follow.
But here is the rub. Whitehall is nervous about the cost. A full audit of thousands of schools across 56 Commonwealth nations would be a logistical and financial nightmare. “The Treasury will push back,” a senior civil servant admitted. “They will say it is a matter for host governments. But the political pressure will be intense.”
Kenya’s President Ruto has declared three days of national mourning. He has ordered an investigation. But the Kenyan education system is underfunded and overcrowded. Safety standards are often ignored. This is not a uniquely Kenyan problem. Similar fires have killed children in Nigeria, Ghana, and India over the past decade.
The campaign for a Commonwealth schools safety charter is gaining momentum. A cross-party group of peers is drafting a bill that would require all UK-registered charities operating schools abroad to meet British fire safety standards. If passed, it could have far-reaching consequences.
Inside Number 10, they are cagey. A No 10 spokesperson said only: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in Kenya. Our thoughts are with the families. We are in contact with the Kenyan authorities and will consider any requests for assistance.”
But the mood in the Lobby is clear. This is a tipping point. The tragedy in Kenya will not be forgotten. The question is whether Westminster will act before the next fire.
I have spoken to a source close to the Education Secretary. He is “open to ideas” but wary of “unfunded mandates”. That is code for: we don’t want to pay.
Yet the moral arithmetic is brutal. Sixteen dead children. The price of an audit? Priceless. But the Treasury sees only columns of red ink.
Watch this space. The letters will land on the PM’s desk by the end of the week. And then the real game begins.
