Nine students injured in night dormitory fire in Migori

Nine students at Nyabisawa Girls Secondary School in Migori County were injured Monday night when their dormitory caught fire.

The victims were trying to salvage their belongings from the burning dormitory when they inhaled fumes and collapsed.

They were rushed to hospitals in Migori Town for treatment.

This is the third fire incident at the school within a period of ten months.

The school is located in Suna East constituency.

Nothing was salvaged from the dormitory, which normally housed 60 girls.

In 2014, the school experienced two dormitory fires that reduced students’ belongings to ashes.

ANGRY PARENTS

Following the Monday fire, angry parents stormed the school on Tuesday and demanded the removal of the principal, Ms Beatrice Kure.

They said the fires had become too common and had become a huge financial burden, since they had to buy new books and bedding for their daughters.

But Ms Kure denied claims of mismanagement while at the same time ruling out an electrical fault as the cause of the Monday fire.

“This was clearly an arson attack. I want the police to investigate and tell us the motive,” she said.

Security officers, led by Migori police boss Moses Chepyegon, visited the school and launched investigations.

The dormitory had no emergency door and had only one tiny entry and exit door.

“It is by good luck that the fire broke out when students were out for the evening preps,” said Mr Elijah Odhiambo, a county executive member.

Migori Governor Okoth Obado demanded swift investigations into the fire incidents at the school.

“We cannot have fires occurring in one school consistently. We want to know what is happening here,” he stated.