Kenya School Fire Claims Lives of 17 Children, President Orders Investigation
At least 17 children have died after a fire broke out in a primary school dormitory in central Kenya, authorities reported on Friday.
The blaze tore through Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County around midnight, engulfing rooms where young students were sleeping.
The primary school, which serves around 800 pupils aged between five and 12, was devastated by the overnight fire.
“There are 17 fatalities from this incident, and others have been taken to the hospital with serious injuries,” said national police spokesperson Resila Onyango in a statement to AFP. “The bodies recovered at the scene were burned beyond recognition.”
The average age of the victims was around nine years old. Onyango added that 16 children were seriously injured and are currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
Authorities fear that more bodies could be recovered as the investigation progresses. “More bodies are likely to be recovered once the scene is fully processed,” she said. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but an investigation has been launched.
President William Ruto expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, describing the incident as a “devastating tragedy.”
In a statement on X, he wrote: “Our thoughts are with the families of the children who have lost their lives in the fire tragedy. This is devastating news.” He also assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted and that those responsible would be “held to account.”
The Kenyan Red Cross has deployed teams to the site, assisting with the multi-agency response. In a post on X, the organization stated that it is “providing psychosocial support services to the pupils, teachers, and affected families.”
Kenya has a troubling history of school fires. In 2016, a fire at a girls’ high school in Nairobi’s Kibera neighborhood claimed nine lives.
In 2001, an arson attack on a dormitory at Kyanguli Mixed Secondary School in Machakos district killed 67 pupils, leading to the conviction of two pupils for murder and the headmaster and deputy headmaster for negligence.
The Hillside Endarasha Academy fire is the latest in a series of tragic incidents, underscoring ongoing concerns about safety standards in East African schools.
