As we lay to rest the 21 young lives lost in the recent fire at Hill Side Endarasha Academy, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the darkest moments in our educational history:
1. St. Kizito Secondary School
1991: St. Kizito Secondary School in Meru was shut down by President Moi after a horrific incident where 70 girls were attacked and raped by male students for refusing to join a strike.
2. Bombolulu Girls Secondary School
1998: Twenty-six girls died in Bombolulu girls’ secondary school near Mazeras, Kwale. Reports indicated that all the students who died were in an overcrowded dormitory of about 130 students.
3. Nyeri High School
1999: An arson attack at Nyeri High School claimed the lives of four school prefects. Students locked up the four prefects in the main cubicle in the boys’ dormitory while they slept, doused it with petrol and set it on fire.
4. Kyanguli Secondary School
2001: The Kyanguli Secondary School dormitory fire became Kenya’s worst school disaster, claiming the lives of 67 boys in a tragic act of arson. The incident saw parents sue the school in a case that took 15 years for the parents of the deceased to get justice.
5. Endarasha Boys Secondary School
2010: A tragedy hit Endarasha Boys Secondary School when two of its Form 1 students perished in a dormitory fire. The fire was said to have been caused by 11 of their colleague students who were suspected to have set the dormitory on fire.
6. Asumbi Girls Boarding Primary SchoolÂ
2012: Eight pupils of Asumbi Girls boarding Primary School in Homa Bay, died after a fire razed their dormitory. The young girls were burnt beyond recognition in a fire believed to have been caused by an electricity fault.
7. Stephjoy Boys High School
2015: Two boys died, and 8 others sustained serious burns after the fire broke out at Stephjoy High School In Limuru. Some students were held responsible for the disaster.
8. Moi Girls School
2017: A devastating fire at Moi Girls High School, set by a disgruntled Form 1 student, resulted in the deaths of 10 girls. 10 other students were injured and were admitted to the hospital.
9. Kakamega Primary School
2020: The Kakamega Primary School stampede claimed 14 young lives as students rushed to go home.
9. Hill Side Endarasha Academy
2024: A mysterious fire swept through the dormitory at Hill Side Endarasha Academy, tragically killing 21 boys. The pupils at the school were burnt beyond recognition when their dormitory caught fire.
Every year, we witness at least 10 schools set ablaze by frustrated students. Kenyans are still grappling with this alarming trend of arson culture in our high schools, a challenge that demands our urgent attention.
