17 schoolchildren die during Kenyan elementary school inferno

At least 17 male schoolchildren have been confirmed dead, and 14 others suffered different degrees of burn after a fire broke out at a dormitory of boarding school in central Kenya.

According to police, the death toll is likely to rise due to the gravity of the disaster and survivors are being treated at Nyeri Provincial General Hospital.

Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura stated on Friday that the victims were in grades 4 to 8, aged approximately 9 to 13 years old.

He also revealed that the dormitory housed 156 students.

Resila Onyango, Kenya police spokesperson, noted that the cause of Thursday night’s fire is still unknown and being investigated by authorities.

“The bodies recovered at the scene were burnt beyond recognition,” Onyango told newsmen, adding that a government team is on the ground to assess the extent of the damage.

President William Ruto in response to the tragedy called the news “devastating” and vowed to take action against those responsible.

“I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident.

Those responsible will be held to account,” he wrote on social media platform.

Additionally, Ruto’s deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, urged school administrators to ensure that safety guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Education for boarding schools are being followed.

In the aftermath of the incident, the Kenya Red Cross has set up a tracing desk at the school and is providing psychosocial support services to the pupils, teachers, and affected families.

Hillside Endarasha Primary School, located about 106 miles north of Nairobi in Nyeri county, serves approximately 800 students aged 5 to 12.

Notably, school fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, where many students stay because parents believe it gives them more time to study and precludes long commutes.

In 2016, nine students were killed by a fire at a girls’ high school in the Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi.

Similarly, in 2017, 10 high school students died in a school fire in Nairobi, and in 2001, 58 pupils were killed in a dormitory fire at Kyanguli Secondary School outside Nairobi.