In Pictures: Inside the Endarasha Academy fire that killed 17 students

A somber mood has enveloped Hillside Endarasha Academy in Kieni, Nyeri County, where  17 students died early Friday after a fire destroyed a boys’ dormitory.

Security agencies, including homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, and officials from the Ministry of Education, are at the scene to determine the cause of the fire.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is also expected to visit the school.

.

Keep Reading business

•  Impact of Finance Bill withdrawal hits State revenues, projects hard
•  Standoff at East Africa Portland Cement as employees protest against new management
•  Kenya, Madagascar Partner to Boost Horticulture and Jobs
•  Top 10 most reliable and budget-friendly cars in Kenya Premium
•  End of an era as Mastermind Tobacco to go under the hammer

National leaders, including President William Ruto, Deputy President Gachagua, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and Raila Odinga, have sent their condolences to the families of the victims.

President Ruto has ordered an investigation, terming the fire a tragic event.

Former President Kenyatta described the loss as indescribable. “The loss of young lives, full of potential and hope for the future, is a pain that cannot be fully expressed. My heart goes out to the families who lost their children and to the school community devastated by this unimaginable tragedy,” Kenyatta wrote on X.

Authorities, including the Kenya Red Cross, are on-site to offer psychosocial support to affected families and friends.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.