- Gachagua was among thousands of mourners at the memorial service of 21 pupils who died in the Hillside Endarasha Academy.
- Ruto, in his message, said the Government will continue supporting the affected families and called
Image: DPCS
President William Ruto has pledged to support the families of the victims of the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire tragedy.
On Thursday, leaders and residents joined families of the victims for a memorial service in honour of the 21 boys killed in the tragedy.
In a speech delivered by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Ruto called for strict compliance with the boarding schools' regulations.
Gachagua was among thousands of mourners at the memorial service of 21 pupils who died in the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire tragedy three weeks ago.
Ruto, in his message, said the government will continue supporting the affected families.
"We are pained by the loss of young lives in the Hillside Academy fire tragedy. They were hardworking with a promising future. As investigations continue, we commit to support the families affected by the horrific accident," Ruto said in his tribute.
"We also call for strict compliance with regulations to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the Hillside Endarasha Academy fraternity."
For his part, Gachagua asked the Ministry of Education officials to do whatever they could on matters of school safety standards.
He asked Kenyans to pray for the country, the government and the families that lost their children in the fire incident.
"May our Lord give the families and relatives comfort. It is difficult; we can't pretend that it is easy for them. If possible, parents should be buried by children rather than parents burying children," the DP said.
"We lost innocent souls. Let us continue praying and standing with the bereaved families. Let us show them love and support."
During the service, a sombre mood engulfed Mweiga Stadium, Nyeri, as families and friends watched the bodies of the young boys in caskets.
The 21 died when their dormitory was razed on September 6.
The fire raged through the dormitory of the boarding school, killing the boys who were asleep.
More than 150 pupils were in the dormitory when it caught fire on September 5.
Nine of the 21 pupils who perished in the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire will be laid to rest on Thursday (today).
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga said the nine will be buried in their various homes after the memorial service.
Ten will be laid to rest on Friday, with the remaining two being buried on Saturday.
"I would like to inform you that once we leave here, we will have burials in nine homes, we will do so for another 10 pupils, and on Saturday we will finish with the remaining two," Kahiga said.
He said the committee, which has been in charge since the tragedy occurred on September 5, will be holding their final meeting on Monday.