Puzzle of school bursar and teen who died in dorm fire while others prayed
The entrance to Sacred Heart Boys High School in Rongai, Nakuru Country in this picture taken on September 23, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The dorm caught fire on Friday night as the students were having their evening prayers.
- The incident has left the school community and victims’ families devastated and searching for answers.
Mystery has shrouded the circumstances under which a Form Four student and a bursar intern were killed in a night fire at Sacred Heart Boys High School in Rongai, Nakuru County.
The dorm caught fire on Friday night (September 20) as the students were out for their evening prayers.
The incident has left the school community and the victims’ families devastated and searching for answers.
While the authorities, led by Nakuru County Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi, say they have launched investigations to establish the cause of the fire, critical questions remain unanswered.
Among them is what the school's bursar intern, Mr Peter Muhari, 24, and the student, Aron Kirui, 17, were doing in the dorm while other students were conducting evening prayers.
Head count
According to a detective who spoke to Nation on condition of anonymity, the school's management called in the fire brigade when they realised that the dorm was on fire.
After extinguishing the flames, firefighters discovered two bodies that had been burned beyond recognition.
After conducting a headcount, the school's management arrived at the conclusion that the bodies were that of the Form Four student and the bursar intern.
On Monday, the family of the deceased student witnessed the post-mortem on his body at the Nakuru City Mortuary.
His distraught mother wept uncontrollably while her husband and other relatives kept a distance.
After the post-mortem, the body was moved to Kericho County.
The family declined to speak to the media.
“The father of the boy works in a government institution. He fears if the family speak to the media they might be victimised or his job will be at risk. The school informed us that police took over the matter and are conducting investigations. We are still waiting for answers on what transpired," said one family member.
On Sunday, the school was closed for a week, with all students being sent home.
According to Mr Ndanyi, several students recorded statements before being released to go home.
The county police boss said the school principal and the security guards, who were on duty on Friday night, have also recorded statements.
Read: ‘We tried our best to save them’: Rescuers, relatives' horrors in Hillside Endarasha fire tragedy
“Investigations into the incident are ongoing. Together with other agencies, we visited the school on Saturday for assessment. After the meeting we agreed that the students be released, but after we recorded statements from some of them,” he said.
However, he said the cause of the fire is yet to be established.
The County Police boss also disclosed that Kenya Power has visited the school to assess and establish if the power lines were faulty at the time of incident, but is yet to submit its report.
The Nation’s efforts to contact the school management was futile as we were denied access, with the security guard informing us that the school principal was not available.
The incident happened just weeks after a similar tragedy at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri in which 21 pupils perished.
