Police in Athi River, Machakos county, are investigating a suspected arson incident at Lukenya Girls Centre of Excellence.
The school is located in Kwamboo village within Kinanie location, Athi River subcounty.
Several girls were quizzed yesterday about the incident to help arrest those involved in the arson that led to the razing of a dormitory named Mt Kenya.
The matter was reported at Athi River police station as a fire/unrest incident by the school principal, Caroline Muema at 6 am.
“[Muema said she] received a distress call from her matron at Lukenya Girls Centre of Excellence in Kwamboo, Kinanie village that there was a fire outbreak in one of the dormitories named Mt Kenya suspected to have been started by student unrest emanating from the called off teachers’ strike as some students were hoping to proceed home,” a police report reads in part.
“The principal raised alarm and members of the public together with police officers from Kinanie helped put out the fire. Almost all the students’ personal effects, including clothes, boxes and mattresses in the dormitory got burnt.”
Police said there were no reported injuries since the girls were in their morning preps when the fire broke out.
“Police officers are on the ground to establish possible suspects. The cases is pending under investigations,” the report reads.
The school’s board of management and officials from the Ministry of Education spent a better part of the day trying to chart a way forward.
It was, however, reported that admission of students who had been sent home for school fees arrears went on uninterrupted, a likelihood that learning will continue despite the incident.
The incident happened hours after Machakos School was closed indefinitely due to students’ unrest.
The boys were released to go home early Monday after reportedly causing chaos in the entire Sunday night.
Two girls schools in Machakos county have so far experienced fire outbreaks suspected to have been caused by arson.
In Nyayo Girls Secondary Cchool in Kalama subcounty, two dormitories went up into flames on Sunday night. Two girls, both Form Twos, were arrested in connection to the incident.
A third school, Makindu Girls High School in Makueni county, also reported a fire incident on the same night. A dormitory that accommodated 55 girls was razed.
