Success Factors for Fire Safety Projects in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

The ministry of education, Kenya, recognises fire disasters in schools as a serious challenge to learners’ ability to record good performance in schools. As a results numerous fire safety projects have been installed in secondary schools to mitigate the concerns. Despite the effort, many fire incidences have been reported in several secondary schools destroying properties worth millions and leading students to be given unplanned holidays. This paper aimed at establishing the influence of fire safety preparedness on success of fire safety projects in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive research design targeting 11 fire safety projects in public secondary schools within Nairobi County. Semi-structured questionnaires were used and data analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The study findings indicated that fire safety trainings were being carried out. However, the training offered was obsolete as they were theoretical. The results also indicated that the majority of the fire safety equipment are not monitored as there was no clear monitoring and evaluation framework. The study recommends that schools should have clear programmes which are intended to create awareness among the staff and student on fire safety. Training should be carried out on how to prevent and respond on fire safety emergencies to the staff, management and students especially on practical approaches to dealing with fire projects. The study also recommends that schools implementing the fire safety projects should have a clear monitoring and evaluation framework to continuously get the feedback on the progress of their projects and to ensure achievement of the intended results.