70 Children Missing As Death Toll From Hillside Endarasha Academy Fire Rises To 18

As the country still remains in shock over the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire tragedy, it is now emerging that 70 students are unaccounted for following the devastating fire that broke out at the school dormitories.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who spoke during his visit to the school, revealed that the figure did not, however, represent casualties but children who may have been taken home by parents or those still lost in the chaos.

This is as the government moves mountains in their search for the students alongside humanitarian agencies following the devastating inferno that occurred at the school in Kieni West Sub County, Nyeri County, on Thursday night, September 5.

"We still have 70 kids that are unaccounted but that does not mean that they have perished or they are injured, the word is that they are unaccounted for," he revealed.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua speaks to the media at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri on September 6, 2024. /DPPS

He urged parents and residents to report any children who were taken from the scene during the confusion. “I am appealing to each and every parent who took their child to report to us so that we know where those children are,” he added.

According to Gachagua, the government can account for 86 students, with 27 pupils currently hospitalised with injuries, and 37 others have been located with their parents. Despite this, the whereabouts of the remaining 70 students remain unknown, leaving families desperate for news.

Per statistics from the Ministry of Education, the school has a total enrolment of 824. Of these, 402 are boys while 422 are girls, further broken down to 156 boys and 160 girls being boarders while the rest are day scholars. All the 156 boys boarders were accommodated in the ill-fated dormitory.

Meanwhile, the death toll has now climbed to 18 from the incident after Gachagua revealed that one child succumbed to injuries in hospital.

We still have 70 Hillside Endarasha Academy pupils that are unaccounted but that does not mean that they have perished or they are injured- DP Rigathi Gachagua#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/TYS7oElR9Q — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) September 6, 2024

He thus called for patience and cautioned against sharing unverified information about the incident as he urged neighbours who may have given refuge to pupils who managed to escape to volunteer such information through the number 1199 provided by the Red Cross.

As the nation reels from this tragedy, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura confirmed that a multi-agency investigation has been launched. "We are working with the Ministry of Education, Interior, and security agencies to determine the cause of this fire," Mwaura stated, further assuring the public that the government would leave no stone unturned in establishing what led to the disaster.

Local resident Phillip Gathogo was one of the first on the scene and recounted the harrowing events. “We saw several children in there that had been burnt,” he said, visibly shaken. “I was just lucky to save one of them, but I heard that he later died. It was a very troubling and sad tragedy."

Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki, during his earlier visit to the site, directed any person who gave refuge to a Hillside Endarasha Academy pupil to avail them, saying the pupils need medical support and counselling following the tragic incident. Following the outbreak of the incident, the learners fled from the school after the fire broke out and ran into nearby homes.

The CS who met a team of security agents coordinating operations at the school revealed that the children had yet to come back to the school out of being traumatised from the experience. However, he argued that returning the learners to school will help in contract tracing.

Notably, Kenya's history with fatal school fires does not make for pretty reading. In 2017, nine students were killed in a dormitory fire at a Nairobi school, which was later attributed to arson.

The most tragic incident occurred in 2001 when 58 students perished in a dormitory blaze at Kyanguli Secondary School. 

Scene at Hillside Endarasha Academy following a fire tragedy on September 6, 2024. /MACHARIA WANGUI