Kwale High School mulls closure after dorm fire

A razed dormitory at Kwale High School on Friday night. PHOTO | FAROUK MWABEGE

What you need to know:

  • Power went off in the whole school before the incident, meaning the arsonist had turned off the main switch to avoid being seen.
  • Over 50 students out of a population of 1,015 were forced to squeeze themselves in other dormitories as they had nowhere else to spend the night.
  • A decision on whether to close down the school will be made on Saturday after assessing the damage.

Kwale High School management is considering closing the school following a fire incident on Friday night.

The school is the first in Kwale County to be burnt, in what has now become a trend for students to set their schools on fire in different parts of the country.

Addressing journalists inside the school premises, the school principal Festus Sombo said the fire started at around 9pm in a dormitory identified as Lower Nile.

He said no injuries were reported. Nothing was salvaged from the dormitory.

“We do not know what exactly might have caused the fire. Investigations are ongoing and it is my hope that we are going to know the truth as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr Sombo explained that before the fire started, power went off in the whole school, meaning the arsonist had turned off the main switch to avoid being seen.

He said they switched on the backup generator only to see the dormitory in flames. Despite efforts to put out the fire, they were unable to contain it, he added.

“We are not going to leave any stone unturned. If this is a work of an individual he will carry the cross so my appeal to the students is that they should help us with information,” he said.

More than 50 students out of a population of 1,015 were forced to squeeze themselves in other dormitories as they had nowhere else to spend the night.

COUNTY SECURITY TEAM

The incident forced the county security team, led by Kwale County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka, to convene an urgent meeting to discuss the issue the same night.

Mr Olaka said a decision on whether to close down the school would be made on Saturday after assessing the damage.

“This matter is now in the hands of DCI officers and it is my hope that within no time we will have found a crucial lead on who exactly was involved,” he said.

Heavily armed security officers guarded the school for the whole night to ensure the security and safety of the students.

A few days ago, the school principal, who is also the chairman of Kwale County Secondary School Heads Association blamed the fire incidents on cartels involved in examination cheating.

He added apart from the cartels, the students are also looking for ways of justifying their failure after realising that all exam leakage loopholes have been closed.

He spoke at a meeting bringing together all secondary school heads that was also attended by Kenya Power Safety Engineer Benjamin Kilonzo.

As a way of ensuring safety, Mr Kilonzo asked the school heads to protect their main switch in school as majority of those who start the fires normally rush for it first.

Only days later, his precaution turned out to be true.