DNA testing was scheduled to commence in Kenya on Monday to help identify the boys who tragically lost their lives in a devastating school dormitory fire last week.
The country has declared three days of mourning for the 21 young victims of this tragic incident, which has reignited concerns about safety standards in Kenyan schools. The fire, which occurred late on Thursday night, consumed the dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, central Kenya, while the children were sleeping.
Nineteen bodies were recovered from the charred remains of the building, and two additional victims died in the hospital. As of Saturday, 17 children remained unaccounted for, according to government spokesman Isaac Mwaura. The police have reported that the bodies were burned beyond recognition, causing a distressing wait for families seeking information about their loved ones.
“The forensic exercise of identifying the bodies will start on Monday because that’s the only way they can be identified,” Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murigu told AFP on Sunday. He urged the affected families to come to Naromoru Hospital, about an hour’s drive from the school, to participate in the forensic identification process.
Chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor has announced that postmortems are set to begin on Tuesday.
President William Ruto declared the mourning period on Friday, calling it an “unfathomable tragedy” and ordering flags to be flown at half-mast on all Kenyan public buildings, military bases, and embassies from dawn on Monday until sunset on Wednesday.
Ruto has also mandated a comprehensive investigation into the disaster, stating, “This incident compels us to ensure accountability in all schools across the country and to take every action we can to safeguard the lives of our school-going children.”
The Kenya Red Cross has been providing psychological counseling to traumatized children and their families, setting up white tents in fields outside the gates of Endarasha School. The devastating fire on Thursday has brought renewed focus to the issue of school safety in Kenya, highlighting a troubling pattern of similar incidents over the years, many of which have been deadly.
On Saturday night, another fire erupted at Isiolo Girls High School in central Kenya, with social media images showing several buildings engulfed in flames. Isiolo County communications director Hussein Salesa informed AFP of several injuries, although police reported no casualties.
The following day, a fire destroyed a dormitory at Njia Boys High School in Meru County, central Kenya, while students were having supper. According to a police statement, no casualties were reported.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga has directed police to investigate whether the Endarasha fire resulted from negligence or recklessness, noting that it “evokes bad memories of other similar school fire incidents.”
Kenya’s National Gender and Equality Commission revealed that initial reports suggest the Endarasha dormitory was “overcrowded, in violation of safety standards.” Vocal Africa, an NGO, added in a statement on X, “This incident raises serious concerns about children’s rights to safety in educational institutions.”
