Matungulu Boys Secondary School has been closed indefinitely following a devastating fire that destroyed four dormitories on Sunday night, leaving four students in police custody on suspicion of arson.
The blaze, which erupted around 10:00 PM, injured at least 15 students and left more than 300 learners without belongings, including beds, bedding, textbooks, and school uniforms.
Authorities arrested the four suspects on Monday after their names surfaced during preliminary investigations into the incident. Police have launched a full probe into the circumstances surrounding the fire and the alleged involvement of the detained students.
According to a resident living near the school, chaos preceded the inferno. The resident immediately alerted a local administrator, who contacted police. However, by the time officers arrived at the scene, the dormitories were already engulfed in flames.
Following the incident, school authorities announced the indefinite closure of the institution and instructed all students to return home. Parents who rushed to the school after learning of the fire were permitted to collect their children once the closure was confirmed.
Dozens of students received treatment at a nearby hospital for injuries sustained during the incident, though the exact number has not been officially confirmed.
This incident follows a pattern of student unrest in Kenyan secondary schools.
In September last year, students at Tengecha Boys High School in Kericho County set a dormitory ablaze during a strike that began around 9:00 PM. Locals and police worked together to restore calm by midnight.
Days earlier, learners at Litein Boys High School, also in Kericho, had destroyed school property, including the principal’s office and laboratory equipment, after being denied permission to watch a Premier League football match. That institution was similarly closed indefinitely.
As Matungulu Boys remains shut, parents, students, and education officials await the outcome of investigations while grappling with the financial and emotional aftermath of Sunday’s fire.
