The five girls from Stephjoy High School in Sigona Ward, Kikuyu, who had been reported missing resurfaced on Sunday afternoon after word went round that police were looking for them.
The girls showed up at Royal Media Services (RMS) offices in Hurlingham, Nairobi where they claimed they have been in the streets of Nairobi for the seven days they had been away from school.
Surprisingly, all the girls were smartly dressed in home clothing which they alleged to have bought using their pocket money to avoid detection that they are students.
Journalists who spoke to the girls observed they did not look as if they had missed a meal or a bath causing one to wonder exactly where they had been for the last seven days.
The girls said they left school due to the principal’s high hardheadedness and because their complaints went unheeded.
By the time we went to press, the five were still at the RMS offices waiting for their parents to come for them.
Meanwhile, their school was on Sunday closed down indefinitely after students allegedly set five dormitories ablaze on Saturday night.
Speaking to The Standard, School Management Board Chairman David Gitehi said fire broke out at midnight, from one of the dormitories which is at the top of the administration block, before it spread to the other four dormitories.
Strong winds
“There were strong winds that night and nothing was salvaged as the fire spread fast burning up the other dormitories before getting to the school library,” he said.
Mr Gitehi, who was with the institution’s manager and owner of the school, Stephen Mugambi, said the fire engine did not get to the facility in time which led to extensive damage to the property.
“Our students were running away screaming after the fire broke out which caused at least 11 of them to sustain slight injuries. The power supply had to be disconnected to avoid causing more damage,” the chairman said.
The hurt students were taken to PCEA Kikuyu hospital where they were treated and discharged.
Gitehi said a report was made at the Kikuyu Police Station over the incident adding that the school will remain closed indefinitely as the management ponders the next move.
While the two said they did not want to speculate on what caused the fire until police investigations are done, it was widely claimed the fire was caused by students protesting over their missing five colleagues.
