- A fire at a Kenyan school dormitory has killed 17 students and left 13 with severe burns, police said, and the cause is still under investigation, with the death toll expected to rise.
- The private school has 824 students and is located 125 miles north of the capital, Nairobi.
- A recent report from the Ministry of Education said fires are common in Kenya's boarding schools, many of which are caused by drug abuse and arson due to overcrowding.
A fire at a school dormitory in Kenya has killed 17 students and left 13 with severe burns, police said on Friday, adding that the death toll was likely to rise.
The cause of the fire that broke out at Hillside Endarasha Primary School in Nyeri County on Thursday night is under investigation, Police Public Relations Officer Lesila Onyango said. The school caters for children up to 14 years of age.
Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu and the Ministry of Education reported that the dormitory where the fire broke out was home to over 150 boys aged between 10 and 14. The fire spread quickly as most of the buildings were constructed with wooden planks.
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The private school, which has 824 students, is located in Nigeria's central highlands, 125 miles north of the capital, Nairobi, where wooden buildings are the norm.
Nyeri County Governor Mutahi Kahiga told reporters rescue efforts were being hampered by muddy roads caused by rain in the area.
Anxious parents who could not find their children among the survivors waited in despair at the school.
Kenya Red Cross staff and relatives try to comfort a woman near the burnt out dormitory after a fire broke out at Hillside Endarasha Primary School in Nyeri, Kenya, on September 6, 2024. (AP Photo)
John Lukwalo told reporters that his 11-year-old grandson was missing and that he had inquired at a local hospital but could not find him.
Education Ministry permanent secretary Berio Kipsang said the government was working with school authorities to locate all boarding school pupils.
“We are seeking the cooperation of parents who have come to collect their children and local residents in compiling the figures to ascertain the whereabouts of all boarding children at the school,” he said.
President William Ruto described the news as “devastating”.
“I instruct the relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident and those responsible will be held accountable,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Deputy Prime Minister Ligaty Gachagua urged school administrators to ensure that safety guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Education for boarding schools are adhered to.
School fires are common in Kenya's boarding schools, many of which are caused by arson due to drug abuse and overcrowding, according to a recent Ministry of Education report. Many students stay on because parents believe they will have more time to study without the long commute.
There have also been incidents of arson by students during protests against workload and living conditions: in 2017, ten high school students were killed when a student set fire to their school in Nairobi.
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The deadliest school fire in recent history was a blaze at a dormitory in Machakos County in 2001, which killed 67 students.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology guidelines recommend that dormitories be spacious enough, have two doors at each end and a central emergency door, and have windows without bars to allow escape in case of fire. They also require fully functional fire extinguishers and fire alarms to be installed within easy access points.
It was not immediately clear whether those guidelines were followed at Hillside, and areas near the dorms remain sealed off.
