Four more dormitories in various high schools in Kenya days after the deadly fires at Hillside Endarasha Academy, which claimed 21 lives and left 25 more seriously injured. Three days after the tradegy, the whereabouts of 46 more pupils are not accounted for as parents impatiently demand answers from the government.
School fires are not new in the country, as most of them have always turned out to be a case of arson. More than 72 hours after Endarasha elementary school fires, the government is yet to establish the cause of the inferno.
After being briefed by the son who survived the tragic dormitory, a parent speaking to CitizenTV hinted that the fire might have been started by an electrical malfunction. Parents still await the DNA test verdict. Pupils were burned beyond recognition, and hours after the headlines, the government donated sacks of grains and mattresses to the school.
Teachers, subordinate staff, guards, and the school owner were among the suspects booked for interrogation by the DCI. At least 156 pupils were accommodated in the dormitory, from grades 5 to 8. Grades 5 and 6 were the worst affected as the fire struck right from their partition.
Hours after the Hillside Endarasha Academy fires, Isiolo Girls in Isiolo County reportedly experienced a dormitory fire incident, which engulfed properties of unknown value.
The dispatched team from the Red Cross in liaison with the community and the KDF fire truck assisted in a quick dousing of the fire, curbing it from spreading to other buildings. No injuries were recorded, as the cause of the fire hasn’t been made public yet.
Njia Boys in Meru County was the third to have recorded a dormitory fire incident yesterday night. Jamhuri Dormitory, hosting 150 students, was razed down in fast-spreading fires. Properties of unknown value were engulfed in the blaze. Fortunately, no casualty was reported.
Two more fire incidents in separate high schools have been reported in the mornings of today, grim occurrences that have left many Kenyans questioning the driving force behind the third-term fires. Though these fires are not new to Kenyans, the rate at which they spread from school to school has left parents and the government dumbfounded.
Ortum Boys in West Pokot County and Bukhalalire Boys High Schools in Busia County are the latest victims of dormitory fires. The police say no injuries have been reported so far, but properties of unknown value went up in flames. The two fires are arson-related, according to the police; however, investigations have been launched to asses the cause.
