CS Kindiki: Cause of fire at school in Nyeri still unknown, investigations ongoing

Home Affairs Minister Kithure Kindiki said the cause of the tragic fire at the Hillside Endarasha Academy dormitory in Nyeri County, in which 17 students died, was still unknown.

CS Kindiki announced at the scene of the tragedy that the Central Regional Commissioner would inform those affected about the current status of rescue, evacuation and psychosocial support.

“At this stage, we cannot provide all the information the public is seeking about the incident. But we assure that forensic information is being collected and we will get to the bottom of the matter. If anyone is guilty, they will be brought to justice,” said Prof. Kindiki.

The government also had problems in determining the number of students as some of them had been picked up by their parents and residents near the school after the tragedy. CS Kindiki urged those who picked up students from the school after the tragedy to report this to the relevant search and rescue command center.

Earlier, Belio Kipsang, principal of the primary school, said that the school has a total of 824 students, of which 402 are boys and 422 are girls. Of the total students enrolled, 156 boys and 160 girls are boarding students, while the rest are day students.

All 156 boarding school boys were housed in the ill-fated dormitory.

Vice President Rigathi Gachagua, who was also present today, called on school administrations across the country to ensure strict compliance with standards in the construction of dormitories.

He said the parents were allowed to visit the crime scene to bring closure to the incident.

“We pray for a speedy recovery of the survivors of this inferno. May God give the families the strength to bear the loss. We call on schools to enforce the safety measures of the Ministry of Education and other authorities to prevent such incidents,” Mr Gachagua wrote on his X account.