When a dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy tragically claimed the lives of 16 young Kenyans, the entire country came together to grieve. Since then, a troubling wave of school fires has hit Murang’a and other counties. We can respond with outrage, investigations and tighter circulars.
Alternatively, we could ask a deeper question: what incentives have we built into our secondary school system that create pressure, congestion and risk? Education systems are shaped less by speeches and more by incentives.
