IN the early hours of Friday, a horrific blaze engulfed a dormitory at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, central Kenya, leaving a community in shock and mourning. The fire, which tore through the building where the children slumbered, burned with such intensity that it left the victims unrecognizable, according to Citizen Television.
Reuters reports that the primary boarding school, located approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Nairobi, housed students between grades 4 and 8, with the affected children ranging from 9 to 13 years old. Police spokesperson Resila Onyango confirmed the tragic toll: “We have lost 17 pupils in the fire incident while 14 are injured.”
The dormitory, which accommodated 156 students, became a scene of devastation as emergency responders rushed to the site. Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura provided details on the scale of the tragedy, while Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki pledged a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire, which remains unclear.
“All relevant government agencies have been deployed…(to) seek the truth on what caused the fire leading to the loss and injury of so many young souls,” Kindiki stated after visiting the school. He assured that those responsible would be held accountable.
President William Ruto echoed this sentiment, describing the event as a “horrific incident” and calling for a comprehensive inquiry. The school, with a total enrollment of 824 students, has been cordoned off as crime scene investigators begin their work.
Reuters notes that Kenya has a history of school fires, some of which have been attributed to arson. This latest tragedy adds to a grim list that includes the loss of 58 schoolboys in a 2001 dormitory fire and the deaths of eight students in a 2012 incident.
As the nation grapples with this heartbreaking loss, the focus turns to uncovering the truth behind the fire and preventing such disasters in the future. The young lives lost in the quiet of night serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of children and the critical importance of safety measures in educational institutions.
