Death toll from Kenya school dorm fire rises to 21

There have been a series of school fires in the country in recent years, many of them which have turned out to be arson

Published: Sat 7 Sep 2024, 8:18 PM

By
AFP, Reuters

The death toll from a devastating blaze at a primary school dormitory in a semi-rural area of central Kenya has risen to 21 children, the government said on Saturday.

"The investigations have been concluded around the fatalities that have been confirmed here and we are sad to report that 19 bodies have been recovered from this scene," government spokesman Isaac Mwaura told reporters, adding that two others had died in hospital.

President William Ruto on Friday said he had asked authorities to investigate and hold those responsible to account.

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The fire had burnt the students beyond recognition, Citizen Television said on Friday.

"I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account," Ruto said in a post on his X account

Authorities have cordoned off the school, Kenya Red Cross said on X.

There have been a series of school fires in Kenya in recent years, many of them which have turned out to be arson.

Nine students were killed in Sept 2017 in a fire at a school in the capital, Nairobi, that the government attributed to arson.

In 2001, 58 schoolboys were killed in a dormitory fire at Kyanguli Secondary School outside Nairobi. In 2012, eight students were killed at a school in Homa Bay County in western Kenya.

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