History of School Fires in Kenya: Government’s Failure to Learn from Past Tragedies. The tragic Hillside Endarasha Academy dormitory fire has shocked the nation and raised concerns about the safety of children attending boarding schools, as well as recollections of other school disasters that claimed lives. Despite the Ministry of Education’s 2008 release of a safety standards document, it seems that requests to ensure compliance only arise during catastrophic events. In 2017, a dormitory fire at Moi Girls High School claimed the lives of ten girls. Five years later, a jury found the 14-year-old pupil guilty of manslaughter and sentenced…
Author: Nyanchoka
KUPPET Faults Government for Negligence in Hillside Endarasha Fire Incident. After the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire catastrophe, which killed 18 lives and left 14 pupils hospitalized, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has transferred the blame to the government. Secretary General Akelo Misori chaired a news conference on Friday where KUPPET expressed condolences for the dead pupils and urged schools to adhere to safety protocols. Misori brought up a similar incident that happened less than five years earlier at Precious Talents Academy, in which a building collapsed, killing eight pupils and injuring 64 more. This incident underscored…
Government Safety Guidelines for Schools to Prevent Future Tragedies Kenya awoke on Friday morning to the heartbreaking news that a fire had broken out at 3 a.m. in a dormitory at the educational institution, leaving 17 students at Hillside Endarasha Juniour Secondary School in Nyeri County severely injured and burned beyond recognition. Given that the dorm held 152 boys, Kenyans are concerned about the damage that could have occurred if the fire spread to the other boys’ quarters. In 2008, the Kenyan government created the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya to prevent disasters before they happen. The document…
Education CS Julius Migos Abruptly Ends China Trip, Returns to Address Hillside Endarasha Academy Tragedy. On Friday, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Interior declared that they had started working together to find the reason for the disaster that occurred at Nyeri County’s Hillside Endarasha Academy. The Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos, who has been traveling with President William Ruto on an official visit to China, is returning to work with local teams to make sure the problem is handled as urgently as possible, according to a statement released by Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang. A multi-agency…
70 Hillside Endarasha Pupils Remain Unaccounted For. The neighborhood around Hillside Endarasha Academy is in a somber tone as search and identification operations for deceased students continue. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua disclosed that 70 pupils remain missing after a catastrophic fire; thus, the government and relief organizations are currently looking for them. Families and officials are searching for answers following the fire that destroyed the school’s dormitories in Nyeri, Central Kenya. “We still cannot account for 70 pupils,” said Gachagua, making it clear that the number did not refer to casualties but rather to kids who might have been picked…
President Ruto Announces Three-Day National Mourning for Hillside Endarasha Victims. President William Ruto has declared a three-day national mourning period in response to the tragic fire that killed eighteen pupils at Hillside Endarasha Academy on Friday, September 6. Monday, September 9, will mark the start of the mourning period, which will end on Wednesday, September 11. Late on Friday, President Ruto, currently in China and expected to return to Kenya this weekend, made the following heartfelt declaration: “Kenya shall observe a three-day period of national mourning as a solemn testament to the indelible mark left upon the nation’s consciousness by…
TSC-Kuppet Strike Resolution Filed in Court, Negotiations To Continue. Despite a segment of teachers across the country expressing fury at the cancellation of their boycott over what they called a “raw deal,” the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and post-primary teachers have filed the agreement in court, ending a nationwide strike. TSC and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) filed a consent decree at the Labour Court on Wednesday, promising to resolve outstanding issues through negotiations. Justice Anna Ngibuini Mwaure then approved the consent and issued a court order. TSC and Kuppet also agreed to withdraw the lawsuits…
Gov’t Donates Food to Hillside Endarasha Academy After 17 Die in Dormitory Fire. The government has announced a slew of measures aimed at reducing the effects of the Thursday night dormitory fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, which has already claimed the lives of 17 students. Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said in a statement on Friday that the institution had received 50 sacks of rice, an equal amount of beans, 100 blankets, and 100 mattresses. “50 bags of rice and 50 bags of beans are en route to the site via special programs. He also announced the dispatch…
Ill-fated Hillside Endarasha Academy Dormitory Accommodated 156 Pupils The dormitory destroyed by flames at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County on Thursday night, which killed 17 students and injured others, was previously housing 156 students, according to the Ministry of Education. According to reports, the fire started at 11 p.m., and Kiawara firefighters were the first to respond. However, they sought aid from the Nyeri Fire Brigade when they realized the fire was too enormous to tackle alone. Nyeri firefighters arrived at the scene around 3 a.m., but the damage had already been extensive. In a statement released Friday, Education…
17 pupils Dead, 14 Hospitalized as Fire Engulfs Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri. At least 17 pupils have been confirmed dead after a fire broke out in one of the dormitories at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Kieni West, Nyeri County. The National Police Service’s Dr. Resilia Onyango confirmed the incident and announced the hospitalization of 14 more pupils with severe burns. The Thursday night fire burned the deceased students beyond recognition. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Deputy Director of CID John Onyango and Director of Homicide Martin Nyuguto have dispatched a team of police officers…