Safety Preparedness Of Secondary Schools In Kyuso District, Kenya

The increasing global rates of accidents and ugly incidences in the past twelve years involving students and staff have raised concern for the safety and security of schools than ever before. In 1998, the USA experienced eight school shootings prompting the congress to create the safe school initiative. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) was directed to develop new, more effective safety technologies such as less obstructive weapons detection and surveillance equipment and information systems that provide communities with quick access to information they need to identify potentially violent youth (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/schools/technology.htm). Back here at home, cases abound. This study was conducted in Kyuso District-Kenya. This is among the newly created districts in the year 2007. The district is located in the semi-arid lands of Eastern Province of Kenya. It is inhabited by Kamba and Tharaka ethnic communities. The district has 20 secondary schools: two are provincial and the rest are district schools. Two of them are boys only: three of them are girls only and the rest are mixed schools. All are boarding schools. On average, each school has a population of 250 students. Boys have tended to be more than the girls. Just like in other parts of the country, schools in Kyuso District have been experiencing cases of arson, students riots, and disease outbreaks leading to loss of life and property. The purpose of this study was to establish the safety preparedness of secondary schools in Kyuso District, Kenya. Eight out of twelve schools from the district were chosen for study.