Standoff As Police, Residents Block Protesters From Hillside Endarasha Academy Amidst Missing Pupils
The demonstrators faced hostility as police and residents blocked them from getting to the school's gate
Following the fire tragedy at Hillside Endarasha Junior Secondary School in Nyeri County that claimed the lives of 21 pupils, a section of Kenyans took it upon themselves to troop to the school in protest, demanding answers.
The contingent of Kenyans who included activists such as Kasmuel McOure, had gathered outside the entrance to the school on Thursday, September 12 demanding to know how 70 students disappeared from the school following the inferno, a claim previously made by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in the aftermath of the incident on the night of September 6, last week.
However, the demonstrators faced hostility as police and residents blocked them from getting to the school's gate, intensifying what was already becoming a charged-up atmosphere.
Authorities in their efforts to prevent the protest, have mounted roadblocks along key routes, including the Blue Post area on Thika Superhighway. Activists attempting to reach the academy were subjected to vehicle checks, and several public service vehicles suspected of ferrying protestors were turned away.
Police and residents block Kenyans from accessing Hillside Endarasha Academy during #OccupyEndarasha pic.twitter.com/iaMWbda7oL — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) September 12, 2024
Despite these measures, some demonstrators managed to get close to the school. Njoki Njanja, an accountant, entrepreneur, interior designer and popular personality on X has been giving blow-by-blow accounts of the protests outside Endarasha dubbed #OccupyEndarasha.
"We got here but they blocked the road leading to the school so vehicles could not pass. We're like 100 metres from the school and then they said they would set the car on fire," Njanja stated in a clip she shared on the platform showing a Toyota Probox blocked along the road.
Njanja's account showcased a tense situation outside Hillside Academy as videos circulated online showed residents closing roads and preventing protestors from advancing. The confrontation between activists and locals has added another layer to the controversy surrounding the school.
Police officers could even be spotted outside the school amidst the escalating tensions. "The locals wanakataa watu wapite (are refusing people to pass through)…I feel like they have been paid..coz (because) they are threatening us," Njanja indicated in another post, adding that the locals had threatened to deal with them physically.
Whereas the death of the 21 pupils sparked uproar online, it was Gachagua's revelation of the 70 missing students that enraged the country and sparked widespread panic among parents and online communities. What made matters worse was a series of conspiracy theories surfacing that the children may have been trafficked to Uganda, further heightening public anxiety.
However, government officials have moved with speed to calm the tempers of the public, with the Central Region Criminal Investigations Officer, Abraham Mugambi, confirming that no children are missing, explaining that all students had been accounted for and dismissed the social media claims as baseless.
Mugambi also noted that authorities had delayed interviews with key witnesses and suspects due to the traumatic nature of the incident, prioritising psycho-social care for those affected.
However, the assurances have done nothing to reverse the damage done by the Deputy President’s comments, which fired up a series of conspiracy theories and speculative narratives on social media, amplified by online users. Not even the government's clarification of the situation could quiet down the tensions, leading to today's aborted protest.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding the fire at the academy, with investigators now focusing on three key areas: the mysterious absence of the dormitory matron, the structural integrity of the building, and the possibility of an electrical fault.
The matron’s unexplained absence on the night of the fire has raised serious questions about her role and responsibilities, with many calling for a thorough investigation into her whereabouts during the incident.