Eight students grilled after dorms burn at Makuyu Girls
The aftermath of a fire which razed two dormitories which housed 160 students at Makuyu Girls High School in Murang’a on July 15, 2018. Principal Lillian Mwema said eight girls who were in the affected dormitories are being investigated in connection to the incident. PHOTO | NDUNG'U GACHANE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The principal said the fire spread so fast and burnt all the students' belongings.
- She revealed that there seemed to have been a conspiracy between the suspects and students of Makuyu Boys Secondary School.
- On Friday Makuyu Boys students and were sent home for attempting to burn their dormitories.
Eight students from Makuyu Girls High School in Murang’a County are being interrogated following a fire that burnt two dormitories on Sunday morning.
Among them is one who had a matchbox while another student who does not sleep in any of the affected dormitories was among those found there, the school Principal Lillian Mwema told the county security team led by County Commissioner John Elungata.
She said two sets of fires broke out in the morning at about 8am at the two entrances of one dormitory and efforts by the school guard to chase the girls away were futile as they were hesitant to get out of the dormitory.
BURNT EVERYTHING
The principal said the fire spread so fast and burnt all the students' belongings.
She disclosed to the detectives that the unrest started on Saturday night when the students started making noises but they were contained, only for the fire to break out on Sunday morning.
"Some students had left for the classes when some whom we suspect committed the act were left behind in the dorms," Ms Mwema told the security team and education officials who visited the scene.
She revealed that there seemed to have been a conspiracy between the suspects and students of Makuyu Boys Secondary School who went on the rampage on Friday and were sent home for attempting to burn their dormitories.
"We had information that the boys wanted to come for the girls after the attempted arson and we believe there is a connection between the two incidents," she said.
The two schools are approximately two kilometres apart.
NO INJURIES
The principal said that following the fire incident at her school, there were no injuries reported.
Locals who neighbour the school said they rushed there after they heard distress calls from the students and started extinguishing the fire.
"At first the guards had refused to open the gate for the residents but later on they opened for us and we put out the fire," said Mr Mwangi Mburu.
On his part Mr Kamande Mwangi, a former MP, proposed that the government re-introduces caning in schools to curb the increased cases of indiscipline.
He also called upon elected leaders to find civilised ways of expressing themselves saying staging demos and burning tyres on roads is setting a bad precedence to students.
