At least 17 students killed in fire at Kenyan school dormitory

NY TIMES

At least 17 children died when a fire ripped through the dormitory of their boarding school north of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the police said on Friday, and there were concerns that the death toll could rise.

The cause of the fire on Thursday night is not yet known, but the deadly blaze brought renewed attention to safety concerns in Kenyan education, particularly in boarding schools.

There were at least 150 children in the dormitory of the school, Hillside Endarasha Primary School in Nyeri County, when the fire broke out, according to Resila Onyango, the spokeswoman for the national police.

The authorities rushed to the scene at around 3 a.m. to find the that the boys’ dormitory was on fire, said Pius Mugambi Murugu, the region’s acting commissioner.

By the morning, the fire had been contained, and the authorities were working with the Kenyan Red Cross to reunite parents with their children.

Sixteen children were burned beyond recognition, while one died while being taken to a hospital, Ms. Onyango said. An additional 15 children were being treated for injuries.

Dozens of anxious parents gathered at the school, waiting to hear if their children were safe. Samson Mwangi, who had two children at the school, said in a telephone interview that he had received a call at around 11 p.m. on Thursday from his sister telling him that the dormitory was on fire.

His sister, who lived near the school, rushed to the scene to look for his two children, a 14-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, and Mr. Mwangi joined her as soon as he could.

He drove from more than three hours from his home in Nairobi to the school, navigating thick mist and muddy roads that complicated the efforts of rescuers to reach the scene.

His children survived, he said, thanks in part to people who lived near the school. Hundreds rushed to the scene, risking their lives to rescue children, said Mr. Mwangi.

“They managed to save some of the children, many of whom were hiding under the beds when the fire broke out,” he said.

By the time firefighters arrived, the fire had already done much of its worst, he added. The parents who lost their children now must wait for DNA analysis to identify the victims.

“This is devastating news,” President William Ruto said on social media. “Those responsible will be held to account.”

Kenya has a legacy of boarding schools dating to the country’s colonial period, when boarding schools were one of the few options for older students to continue their education. They are now more widespread and available to a broader range of students.

Public and private boarding schools are popular with parents, sometimes as a sign of prestige or, in rural areas, a way of sparing children from commuting long distances.

Mr. Mwangi said he sent his children to the boarding school because it was the best in the area and had a good record.

But there have been long-running concerns about the safety record of boarding schools in Kenya. The government appointed a task force in late 2016 in response to a series of arson attacks related to student unrest.

But in 2017, just weeks after the investigation into safety standards had concluded, 10 students died in a fire at a prestigious girls’ school in Nairobi.