A devastating fire broke out at the Hillside Endarasha Academy, a primary boarding school in Nyeri County, Kenya, early Friday morning, claiming the lives of 17 boys and injuring 14 others. The victims, students in grades 4 to 8, were between the ages of 9 and 13. According to police spokesperson Resila Onyango, the cause of the fire remains unclear, and investigations are ongoing.
Kenyan President William Ruto has ordered authorities to investigate the incident, vowing that those responsible will be held accountable. The blaze occurred in a dormitory housing 156 students, and authorities have cordoned off the area as forensic teams assess the damage. The tragedy recalls previous incidents of fatal school fires in Kenya, many of which have been linked to arson.
Kenya has a history of school fires, including a 2017 fire in Nairobi that killed nine students and a 2001 tragedy that took the lives of 58 schoolboys.
