- In one of the incidents under probe, 21 pupils were killed and 20 injured at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri on September 5.
- Police say the fire trend is ongoing and in some of the incidents, incitement has been cited.
Image: SCREENGRAB
Police have linked the recent fire incidents in schools across the country to arson even as investigations continue.
More than 20 fire incidents have been reported in the past week in a worrying trend in the country.
Property of unknown value has been destroyed in the incidents so far reported, police said.
Between September 1 and September 9, nine schools had been destroyed by fire.
This included one academy and eight secondary schools.
In one of the incidents under probe, 21 pupils were killed and 20 injured at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri on September 5.
Police say the fire trend is ongoing and in some of the incidents, incitement has been cited.
The latest incident happened in Isiolo where a dormitory at Wami Boys was destroyed at around 8:20 pm on Monday.
Police said they managed to put out the fire with the help of a fire engine from the county government.
There were no injuries to the students and staff, police said, adding that they were yet to establish the cause of the fire
Another recent case of school fire happened in Kilifi South on Tuesday where Ngombeni Girls High School principal reported the incident at around 9:30 pm.
The incident happened while students were in their evening classes, police said.
Police officers responded and found that one of the dormitories, which housed 160 students, had caught fire.
Police said they managed to put out the fire with the help of students, staff and the Kilifi County Fire Brigade.
Property of unknown value was destroyed but no casualties were reported, and the cause of the fire is yet to be known.
Another incident was reported on Wednesday at 1:10 pm at Burieruri Secondary School in Ingembe North, Meru County.
Police said students had gone on a rampage within the school and set one of the dormitories which housed 236 students on fire.
With the assistance of the staff, teachers and the local community, they managed to put off the inferno.
Police said students' belongings of unknown value were destroyed.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported and the motive behind the incident remains unknown, police added.
On Saturday, at least three students were injured after a fire broke out at Isiolo Girls High School.
Police said the fire destroyed dormitories at Isiolo Girls High School before being contained. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Police also said school fire incidents were reported in Irbaan Primary School and Naivasha High School where dormitories were razed down.
There were no casualties as reported by Narok and Nakuru counties respectively.
In the central region in Nyeri County, police received reports of an attempted arson at Mukurweini Boys where several students were arrested for interrogation.
On September 6, two schools were closed indefinitely following night fires in Makueni County.
St Peters Clevers Boys Secondary School, Kithuki and Maiani Boys Secondary School were closed after dormitories were burnt Thursday night.
The public schools are located in the Kathonzweni and Mukaa sub-counties respectively.
At St Peters Clevers, the fire began at around 7 pm and razed down 25 per cent of the dormitory that hosted 150 students.
Items reported to have been lost in the fire included 32 mattresses, 32 blankets, 16 double-decker beds and students' boxes.
Other personal items like clothes belonging to the boys were also reduced to ashes in the incident.
No casualties were reported since the fire broke out while students were in their evening preps.
The cause of the fire was not immediately established.
At Maiani Boys Secondary School, the incident happened hours after a night guard and student were arrested in connection to a fire breakout that razed a dormitory at Matiku Secondary School in Nzau, Makueni County on Wednesday night.
At least nine public secondary schools have been closed down indefinitely in Makueni County over the last two weeks.
The schools' closures were prompted by either students' unrest or after dormitories were razed.
They include Makueni Boys, Nziu Girls, Ngoto Boys, Kasikeu Boys, Kalulini Boys, St. Peters Clevers Boys secondary school Kithuki, Makindu Girls, Matuku secondary and Miiani Boys.
On Wednesday at around 10 am, a secondary school in Turkana County was temporarily closed after an unrest.
Police said officials in the county unanimously agreed to temporarily close the school until further notice.
This was due to consistent striking of the students over the transfer of the former principal.