In the wake of the tragic fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary School, two more Kenyan schools have been closed indefinitely following dormitory fires. St. Peters Clevers Boys Secondary School and Maiani Boys Secondary School in Makueni county sent students home after their dormitories were razed on Thursday night. No casualties were reported in these incidents, which occurred while students were in evening classes.
These closures bring the total number of public secondary schools shut down in Makueni county to at least five over the past two weeks due to similar fire incidents. The cause of these fires remains under investigation.
New details have emerged about the fatal fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary School in Nyeri county. Local government official Samson Mwangi Mwema told journalists that the fire started around 23:00 local time. Mwema, who joined rescue efforts after receiving a phone call, described a chaotic scene with over 2,000 people attempting to save the trapped boys.
“No one knew where the fire came from… but we were more than 2,000 people trying to rescue [them],” Mwema said. “We found some children under the bed, and we were able to rescue them, some had not been burned.”
Mwema emphasized the school’s reputation as one of the best in the area, calling the incident “a huge loss” but expressing determination to continue with support from the community.
The Kenya Red Cross has been actively involved in the response efforts. The organization is working to reunite pupils with their parents, including those hospitalized. They are providing psychosocial support and assessing the children’s well-being in collaboration with a multi-agency response team.
These incidents have raised serious concerns about fire safety in Kenyan schools and the effectiveness of existing preventive measures. As investigations continue, education officials and local authorities face mounting pressure to address the recurring issue of school fires and ensure the safety of students across the country.
The string of fire incidents has left many parents anxious and questioning the safety of boarding schools, which are popular in Kenya due to the belief that they provide students with more dedicated study time.
