Police launch investigations on fires in two Busia schools

Police in Busia have launched investigations into the cause of two separate fire incidents that burnt property of unknown value in two secondary schools on Monday.

At Makunda Mixed Secondary School in Budalangi Constituency, a food and stationary store were reduced to ashes while students at Bujumba Boys Secondary School in Butula Sub-County are suspected to have burnt their mattresses before the fire was contained.

Budalangi OCPD Fredrick Kagari told Nation on Monday evening that no injuries were reported during the 5am incident at Makunda.

“Our [initial] investigations have already given us a lead in establishing the cause of the fire with a link to students who were reporting back to school. We will give you full a report after investigations are over,” he said.

Earlier, the school’s Board of Management chairman Francis Tumbo said unknown people torched the store.

Apart from maize and beans, the other store had kitchen utensils, store record books and school stationeries.

Last week, some rowdy students forced the school’s management to temporarily close the institution which hosts about 600 students after they pelted their colleagues with stones while they were on parade.

The school was being opened for a second time with Form One students reporting first.

The incident comes just few days after other fire incidents in which dormitories in Moi Girls School in Nairobi and Sigoti Girls School in Nyakach, Kisumu County were burnt.