Three of Stephjoy Boys likely to be charged with murder

Three of the 11 Stephjoy Boys High School students currently held at Tigoni police station are likely to be charged with murder.

Limuru DCIO Mwenda Etheiba told the Parliamentary education committee that the three had been isolated pending the charges.

While answering questions from the committee members who had toured the school yesterday, Mr Etheiba said his team was finalising investigations and was likely to move to court today.

"We have isolated three boys from the rest after interrogation since this is a murder case," said Etheiba.

The eleven boys were taken to court on Tuesday but they did not take a plea after police asked for more time and were given two more days.

Etheiba also said that despite being run by one couple, two schools, one for boys and another for girls with the same name were not related.

The CID officer said initial investigations reveal the fire was started by the students themselves and was likely lit and thrown from outside the dormitory since no electric fault was detected.

PROBE GIRLS

The committee's Chairperson Sabina Chege, who had led the committee to the institution called on Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett to also order for probe of the issues in the girls school.

"The IG should order his officers to start a probe on the girls school too since there have been disappearances and two fire incidents reported there. That there have been no deaths there should not mean the matter rests," said Ms Chege.

Chege also called on the Ministry of Education to tour the institution and come up with findings on whether the school meets safety standards and is fit to be a learning institution.

"There are issues of windows having grills and doors being small. We need to know whether our students and pupils are safe in school or not," she said.

The school chairman David Ngacha linked the incidents to indiscipline cases arguing that they have taken in students with discipline issues from other schools.

Mr Ngacha said the school management would be meeting parents from today in order to plan how the students will resume school after the August holiday now that both institutions closed earlier than before.

"We would have closed today were it not for what happened." he said.