Liz Jackson urges govt to censure schools with grilled dorm windows after Utumishi fire
By Steve Ireri, May 28, 2026Instagram influencer Liz Jackson has called on the government to urgently review boarding school safety standards, questioning why some institutions still operate dormitories with grilled windows and limited emergency exits, even after the tragic Utumishi Girls Academy fire in Gilgil.
Speaking in an Instagram video on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the influencer raised concern over what she described as prison-like dormitory designs in some schools, saying such structures could worsen outcomes during emergencies like fires.
“Why are school dormitories set up like prisons? The windows are very small and fitted with grills. I schooled at Pangani Girls, and I remember when I was in Form 2 or 3, the Ministry of Education was conducting inspections and the school was ordered to remove the grills from the windows. We had two hostels, each with blocks A and B, and each hosted around 500 to 600 students, but only one entrance was functional,” she said.
Jackson questioned why boarding school windows remain fitted with grills and why some dormitories still have limited exits, saying such designs may trap students in the event of a disaster.
She urged education authorities to conduct routine and unannounced inspections in schools across the country, arguing that prior notice of visits often leads to schools temporarily altering their operations and presenting a false picture of compliance.
“The Ministry of Education should carry out routine checks in these boarding schools without informing them. They should never announce visits because I remember when ministry officials used to come, we were always told in advance and coached on how to behave and speak to them,” she added.
The influencer also criticised the justification given by some schools that grills and restricted exits are meant to enforce discipline, saying safety should always take priority over control measures.
“The Ministry of Education instructed them to open the other entrances just in case of an emergency, but the school defended itself, saying they were trying to promote discipline so that students could not escape. But who really cares about that? So I feel the Ministry should be visiting randomly and putting schools on the spot, because why should a dormitory have very small windows, and why should those windows have grills?” she said.