Hillside Academy fire tragedy: Pathologist says all 21 bodies identified through DNA

All the bodies of the victims of the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire tragedy have been positively identified, Government pathologist Johansen Oduor has said.

The fire tragedy claimed the lives of 21 boys and left at least 14 others nursing injuries.

Speaking on Wednesday, Oduor said they have started the process of contacting the relatives.

"We have received the results of DNA of the 21 victims of fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy, and all the 21 bodies have been identified through DNA," he said.

Oduor said a team comprising the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Red Cross, and counsellors is helping families in the process of burial.

"The government chemist was able to match the samples obtained from the bodies of the victims and the parents."

The autopsy was performed by Oduor, assisted by other forensics experts.

The collection of DNA samples for purposes of identifying the victims started on Monday last week.

The cause of the fire at the school is still unknown, but DCI detectives are working to unravel the mystery.

Last week, Government Spokesman Issac Mwaura said all the learners affected by the fire incident had been accounted for.

“All girls are at home with their parents while all the 164 boys have been accounted for,” he stated.

Mwaura termed the tragic loss of the 21 pupils as a catastrophe beyond imagination.

“Two of the boys died in the hospital while undergoing treatment, and 19 other bodies were recovered from the burnt dormitory,” he said.

On Tuesday, the owner and director of Hillside Endarasha Academy, David Kinyua, said the school will reduce the number of boarders.

Kinyua said the move will help to create space in the school to accommodate the pupils.

According to him, the number of borders will reduce from 330 to 195 pupils.

Kinyua said he was saddened by the fire tragedy that killed 21 pupils.

"We do not have enough room for the borders, those pupils who are near the school will be day scholars, so we can afford to accommodate a few boys. So far, we have 87 boys who are borders and 98 girls who will be borders; the rest will be day scholars," he said.

"Before they were 164 boys and 166 girls."

He revealed that parents and education officers have been invited for a meeting and prayers from the church.

"We have been allowed to start the repairs, and we are trying to do that on time. We have removed the dormitory where it was and changed the paths leading to the dormitory that was razed by fire so that they can't suffer trauma," Kinyua added.

The director said they have a committee responsible for the children who lost their items in the fire tragedy.