Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Fred Matiang’i has stated that the fire incident at Moi Girls School Nairobi was an arson attack and not an accident.
Speaking during a media briefing on Monday morning, Matiang’i also stated that the death toll at the school had risen to nine after one student, who was undergoing treatment at a Nairobi hospital, passed on.
Matiang'i stated that he had appointed top investigators to carry out a probe in speed so as not to inconvenience Form Four students preparing to sit for the national examinations.
"Police are narrowing down to suspects as they conduct their investigations. In due time we will know who the suspects are," Matiang'i stated.
The CS made the announcement after reports emerged that a student who had displayed suicidal tendencies could have started the fire in the Moi Girls dormitory.
Some of the students in the school reported that the girl who was in Form One harboured plans to set the dormitory on fire.
One of the girls who survived the fire explained that the fire started on the girl’s bed and spread to the neighboring beds.
Read More: A Form One Student Believed to Have Started School Fire
Eight students lost their lives on Saturday after they suffered severe injuries.
Matiang'i, who arrived at the scene, expressed condolences on behalf of President Uhuru Kenyatta and asked Kenyans to avoid speculations on what caused the inferno and wait for investigations to be completed.
Since then, four other fire incidents have been reported at Sigoti Girls Secondary School in Kisumu County, Vitale HGM Primary School in Makueni County and in Bujumba Boys and Makunda Mixed Secondary School in Busia County.
Read More: Bujumba Boys and Makunda Mixed Secondary Schools in Busia County Set on Fire
