A tragic fire ripped through a dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy, a primary boarding school in Nyeri, central Kenya, in the early hours of Friday, leaving 17 young boys dead and 14 others injured, the ministry of education stated on Friday.
"The ministry of education deeply regrets to announce a tragic fire incident [...] that has claimed the lives of 17 innocent learners. The fire left 14 other learners injured and are being attended to in various hospitals," the statement read.
The boys, aged between 9 and 13, were asleep when the fire broke out, and authorities have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.
Government officials have swiftly responded to the incident. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki visited the school and assured the public that all responsible parties would be held accountable.
"All relevant government agencies have been deployed [...] to seek the truth on what caused the fire leading to the loss and injury of so many young souls," he wrote on X, emphasizing that "the government assures full accountability for all whose action or inaction contributed to this tremendous loss."
President William Ruto has called for a full investigation into the cause of this "horrific incident," vowing to hold those responsible accountable.
In July, a school in central Nigeria collapsed, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 individuals, primarily students, who were taking their exams at the time.