10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

School fires and student unrest have plagued Kenya's education system for over a century, escalating from isolated protests in the early 1900s to catastrophic dormitory infernos that have claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed property worth billions of shillings. Despite six major presidential task forces and commissions between 1991 and 2017 and comprehensive policy frameworks including the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya (2008), the crisis has persisted and intensified, with the 2024 Endarasha tragedy (21 deaths), the 2026 Utumishi fire (16 deaths), and 37 school fire incidents recorded by June 2026. The phenomenon is increasingly recognized not as a disciplinary or fire-safety problem alone, but as a systemic crisis of educational governance. This scoping review aimed to systematically map the existing evidence on the patterns, causes and governance lessons of recurring school fires and student unrest in Kenya, identify gaps in knowledge, and inform evidence-based policy reform. Guided by the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews, and reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR checklist, a comprehensive search was conducted across academic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, Google Scholar, AJOL), grey literature repositories (Ministry of Education reports, parliamentary inquiries, National Crime Research Centre publications, Auditor General reports, NGO assessments), and media archives. Data were charted using a standardized extraction form and synthesized through descriptive and thematic analysis. The evidence revealed a cyclical, crisis-driven pattern of unrest peaking during societal disruptions (post-election violence, pandemic closures) and examination periods, with 99% of incidents occurring in public boarding secondary schools. Causal factors were remarkably consistent across three decades: overcrowded and unsafe dormitories (84% of sources), poor food quality and quantity (80%), autocratic school administration (78%), examination pressure (74%), lack of student participation or voice (72%), inadequate fire safety equipment (70%), absent guidance and counseling services (68%), and unfair disciplinary enforcement (62%). Governance responses were overwhelmingly reactive; six official inquiries produced parallel diagnoses and recommendations, yet the Office of the Auditor General (2023) confirmed chronic implementation failure attributable to understaffing, inadequate logistics, and minimal supervision. The 2024 Ministry of Education safety audit of 3,199 schools found 348 operating in gross violation of safety standards, but structural audits did not prevent subsequent lethal incidents. Critical evidence gaps included the absence of student-centered research, longitudinal studies, implementation science, and rigorous evaluation of interventions. Recurring school fires and student unrest in Kenya constitute a governance paradox: the state has repeatedly diagnosed the disease but failed to administer the treatment. The crisis is rooted in a colonially inherited authoritarian school culture that denies students participatory voice, concentrates adolescents in overcrowded and under-resourced boarding institutions, and lacks the regulatory capacity to enforce its own safety standards. Breaking this cycle requires a paradigm shift from reactive, securitized responses to preventive, participatory governance characterized by institutionalized student representation, mandatory follow-through mechanisms for inquiry recommendations, phased decongestion of boarding schools, ring-fenced budgets for welfare and counseling services, and the establishment of a permanent, independent National School Safety and Welfare Commission.