THE death of 16 students in a fire on Thursday has once again sparked concerns over the safety of Kenya’s boarding schools.
The tragedy, which occured at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 120km (77 miles) north-west of capital city Nairobi, follows a string of deadly fires at boarding schools in recent years.
The authorities are still investigating the cause of Thursday’s fire but parents of the students, along with Kenyans on social media, have been questioning how prepared boarding schools are for fires and whether dormitories meet the required safety standards.
Roughly 12 hours after the fire, several parents remained at the scene, anxiously waiting for news of their children.
“Don’t you understand? I just want to know if she is dead of alive!” one frustrated man told a police officer who was guarding the school building.
In addition to the pupils who died on Thursday, 79 youngsters were injured, although most have already been discharged from hospital. More than 800 children were in the school at the time of the fire.
Kenya has had a long history of school fires – just two years ago at least 21 people died in a dormitory fire in central Kenya.
Many fires reported in boarding schools have been the result of arson, with disgruntled pupils – angry about the discipline and living conditions – accused of being responsible, while others were caused by accident.
Overcrowding in dormitories and the failure to follow safety guidelines, such as keeping exits clear and windows unlocked, have frequently been blamed for the high number of casualties.
“We trusted this school with our children. Right now we don’t even know who is alive,” one parent, waiting outside Utumishi on Thursday, told the BBC.
Roselyn Rakamba said she felt “traumatised” after a friend alerted her to the fire at the school, where her 14-year-old daughter studies.
Rakamba rushed there, but as she was on her way her daughter got in touch to say she was safe.
“I am happy now, but not really because some of the parents have lost their children and in this school, we are like a family,” Rakamba said.
Peter Njoroge / BBC Roselyn Rakamba, wearing a pink t-shirt, hugs her daughter outside of the schoolPeter Njoroge / BBC
Roselyn Rakamba (right) arrived at the school to find her daughter safe
According to the police, the fire broke out around 01:00 local time (22:00 GMT Wednesday) and engulfed a dormitory block housing about 220 students.
The response teams managed to put out the fire by about 03:00.