Naikuru School in Kisii closed after morning fire burns dorm
Shocked parents view the damage caused by a morning fire which burnt a dorm at Naikuru Secondary School in Kisii County on June 29, 2016. The school was closed indefinitely. PHOTO | AGGREY OMBOKI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Kutsola said the fire began at 6.30am Wednesday when the students were taking breakfast in the dining hall.
- This is the third case of arson in schools in Kisii County this week.
- On Monday, the dormitory of Nyamache High School was burnt hours after a visit by Dr Matiang'i.
- Kisii County Police Commander Agnes Mudambi said authorities were yet to establish the cause of the fire.
Naikuru PAG Secondary School in Nyamache Sub-County, Kisii County, has been closed indefinitely after a morning fire burnt down one of its dormitories.
Kisii County Administration Police Commander Mohammed Kutsola said the fire began at 6.30am Wednesday when the students were taking breakfast in the dining hall.
"My officers rushed to the scene as soon as we were informed of the incident,” he told Nation.co.ke.
He said the county security team had visited the school the previous day and recommended that it be closed.
"We held a lengthy meeting with the school administration and recommended that students be sent home.
“This was because we had realised that there was a possibility of unrest in the school," he said.
This is the third case of arson in schools in Kisii County this week.
A student rummages through the charred remains of the contents of his box after a morning dorm fire at Naikuru Secondary School in Kisii on June 29, 2016. Police said they had the previously recommended the school's closure after sensing the possibility of an unrest. PHOTO | AGGREY OMBOKI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
NYAMACHE FIRE
On Monday, a dormitory at another secondary school in the region went up in flames hours after Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i visited the institution.
Property worth millions at Nyamache Boys High School was reduced to ashes in the fire, the second such blaze at the school in a month.
The first fire broke out on June 2 and razed two dormitories, leaving 150 students without a place to sleep.
In the Monday incident, 60 students were affected and were forced to use the main hall as a temporary dormitory.
Kisii County Police Commander Agnes Mudambi said authorities were yet to establish the cause of the fire.
“We have in the meantime launched investigations into the incident,” she said.
SEVEN ITIERIO DORMS BURNT
On Saturday evening, seven dormitories at Itierio Boys High School, also in Kisii County, were extensively damaged after they were burnt by rioting students.
The students were allegedly protesting the administration's decision to bar them from watching a Euro 2016 match between Portugal and Croatia.
Police have already sent samples of burnt materials to the Government Chemist for analysis as efforts to unravel the cause of the fire at were intensified.
Kisii South police boss David Mburukwa said: “The samples will be analysed to determine whether the culprits used flammable substances.”
Mr Mburukwa said no one had been arrested in connection with the fire, but police were investigating “all possible angles, including the involvement of individuals [from] outside the school”.
The school’s principal, Mr Andrew Otara, said reconstruction of the institution had already begun.
