Kenya mourns the tragic loss of 21 children in a boarding school fire earlier this month, and anxious parents are left questioning why such devastating incidents continue to occur in the country.
A memorial service is set for Thursday in honour of the boys, aged between nine and 13, who perished in a nighttime fires at Hillside Endarasha Academy in central Kenya on 6 September. This particular tragedy was especially horrific, with the children’s bodies burnt beyond recognition, necessitating DNA tests for identification.
Unfortunately, school fires are not uncommon in Kenya—over a dozen have occurred this year alone. In 2018, there were 63 reported arson cases in schools, while a staggering 117 were recorded in just three months during 2016.
Boarding schools, a colonial legacy introduced by missionaries and the British, appear to be the main targets. Kenya has thousands of them, and many parents still consider them to be both prestigious and practical.
While the cause of the Hillside fire is still under investigation, the local power company has ruled out electrical failure. In many instances, students are held responsible for these fires.
In 2017, 10 students died in a fire at a prominent Nairobi school. A 14-year-old pupil with a history of conflicts was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison. Similarly, pupils were accused after a dormitory fire in Machakos in 2001 claimed the lives of 67 students.
A 2017 report from Kenya’s National Crime Research Centre attributed the fires to exam pressures and long academic terms, suggesting that students from different schools were using smuggled phones to communicate, resulting in copycat acts of arson.
In the two days following the Hillside tragedy, there were at least two other boarding school fires in different counties.
The government has pledged to conduct safety audits at all schools and hold those who breach regulations accountable. However, critics argue that similar promises are made after every tragedy without significant action.
There have also been repeated calls to eliminate boarding schools, especially at the primary level, with some suggesting that issues related to abandonment could be contributing to the problem.