Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says 37 pupils of Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri have been reunited with their parents after Thursday night fire tragedy that claimed at least 17 lives.
Addressing the press when he visited the school Friday afternoon, Gachagua said 27 other pupils are in hospital where one of the pupils succumbed to injuries.
The ill-fated dormitory was a 156-bed capacity house that hosted only boys at the mixed boarding private primary school.
The number of pupils present during the time of tragedy has not been revealed.
Gachagua, however, said the whereabouts of 86 pupils has so far been established.
The DP emphasised the need for Kenyans avoid speculation especially on the number of deaths, the fate of the missing and the cause of the deadly inferno.
He said it's premature to conclude that the pupils whose whereabouts remains unknown perished in the tragedy.
"The word is unaccounted for. This does not mean they perished during the night incident. We are praying and hoping for the best," he said.
Gachagua called for patience and cautioned against sharing unverified information about the incident.
This as he urged neighbours who may have given refuge to pupils who managed to escape to volunteer such information through the number 1199 provided by Red Cross.
