NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 12 — Former Deputy Inspector General of Police Edward Mbugua, who founded Utumishi Girls Academy, has proposed the abolition of boarding schools in Kenya, suggesting that existing dormitories be converted into laboratories and workshops.Speaking in Nakuru County during a memorial service for sixteen Utumishi Girls High School students who perished in a dormitory fire on May 27, Mbugua urged the government, legislators, and education stakeholders to rethink the boarding school system to prevent similar tragedies in future.First Lady Rachel Ruto attended the services together with senior dignitaries, including Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, Members of Parliament, senior police officials, bereaved families, teachers, and students.Mbugua advocated for a transition toward day schooling, arguing that strengthening local schools would eliminate the need for learners to travel long distances in search of quality education.“Those dormitories can be converted into workshops for training,” Mbugua said, adding that government should focus on improving local schools so students do not have to travel from regions such as Nyanza or Migori in search of better education.Reflecting on the tragedy, Mbugua said responsibility for school fires is shared among all stakeholders, including school boards of management, the clergy, and policymakers.Leadership failure He noted that the school’s Board of Management, which has since been dissolved, failed to raise concerns despite the institution hosting student numbers that far exceeded its accommodation capacity.The former police chief also criticised Members of Parliament and other stakeholders for pushing the 100 per cent transition to senior secondary school without ensuring adequate infrastructure to accommodate the increased student population.Mbugua also used the occasion to clarify the history of Utumishi Girls High School, saying he was compelled to do so following widespread speculation on social media.He said the institution was founded after a challenge from a parent during a prize-giving day at Utumishi Boys High School in July 2018, while he was serving as Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service.The parent had questioned why the police service had only established a school for boys and not girls, prompting Mbugua to initiate the project.DIG roleHe personally contributed Sh100,000 and mobilised attendees to raise an additional Sh310,000, which was handed over to the then-principal of Utumishi Boys High School for custody.To raise further funds, Mbugua said he travelled across all eight regions of Kenya to engage police officers on the importance of the project. Construction began in September 2018 and was completed in December 2019 after meeting Ministry of Education registration requirements. The school admitted its first cohort of ninety-six girls in 2020.Addressing public questions about the naming of one of the dormitories affected by the fire, Mbugua clarified that it was named after his late daughter, who died in a road accident in Nairobi in June 2021.Following her funeral, he said he channelled Sh10 million—combining personal funds and excess funeral contributions from friends and well-wishers—into a fundraising drive to support school infrastructure development.Mbugua called on stakeholders to avoid blame games and instead engage in structured dialogue to address the recurring problem of school fires in the country.“These are not the first fires to happen in our secondary schools. When we sit down and dialogue, we find the way forward. And when we find the way forward, we implement what we have identified as the cause of the problem,” he said.He also questioned the structure of the education system, asking why learners are separated by gender at Grade 10 despite studying together from Grade 1 to 9 and again at university.The retired police chief suggested that continuous mixed learning would better reflect natural societal interaction.