President William Ruto has ordered Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to carry out speedy investigations into the Hillside Endarasha Academy tragedy amid a worrying trend of school fires.
In a statement released on Monday evening, the President also directed ministries of education and interior to ensure compliance with school boarding regulations.
"Compliance with government regulations on curbing fire accidents in learning institutions is not negotiable. This is the only insurance we have to effectively prevent the loss of life and limb in school," President Ruto noted in a statement after a meeting with Ministry of Education officials.
"Security agencies must speed up investigations on the Hillside Academy fire tragedy and all other affected institutions."
The Prersident gave the directives while meeting the Ministry of Education officials who briefed him on the tragedy and the steps being taken to ensure the safety of all our children.
The President's directive came hours after Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura confirmed that all learners at the institution were accounted for.
Mwaura confirmed that out of all the pupils, the 166 girls boarding school were accounted for and had been sent home.
More than 150 pupils were inside the dormitory when the fire broke out around midnight on Thursday, September 5.
In the aftermath, 19 bodies were found in the charred ruins of the building while another two pupils succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment in hospital.
Families of the pupils, all aged between 9 and 13, face an agonising wait to identify bodies of their loved ones as DNA testing to identify the deceased officially began on Monday, September 9.
As the country comes to terms with the Endarasha tragedy, a worrying trend of school dormitory fires has emerged.
Kenyans.co.ke has established that since the Thursday inferno, at least four more secondary schools have reported fire incidents in their dormitories.
