A fire at a primary boarding school in central Kenya has claimed the lives of 17 students, according to a police spokesperson.
President William Ruto announced that he had instructed authorities to launch an investigation and ensure those responsible are held accountable.
Speaking on Kenya’s Hot 96 FM, police spokesperson Resila Onyango mentioned that additional rescue teams were en route to the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, with further details to be provided later.
“We have lost 17 pupils in the fire incident while 14 are injured,” Onyango told Reuters by telephone. “Our team is at the scene at the moment.”
Earlier reports from Citizen Television indicated that the fire had left the students burned beyond recognition.
“I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account,” Ruto posted on X.
The Kenya Red Cross reported that authorities had sealed off the school.
Kenya has witnessed a string of school fires in recent years, many of which have been linked to arson. In September 2017, nine students lost their lives in a fire at a school in Nairobi, which the government confirmed was an act of arson.
In 2001, a dormitory fire at Kyanguli Secondary School near Nairobi claimed the lives of 58 boys, and in 2012, eight students were killed in a blaze at a school in Homa Bay County, located in western Kenya.