School fire: Emergency doors were closed from outside, watchman was missing

Parents at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county after a fire broke out in a domitory killing 21 children. [AFP]

If only the parents had known!

When other schools were opening over a week ago, an estimated 824 learners at Hillside Endarasha Academy stayed at home.

And some of the agitated parents called the school demanding to know why it had not opened. They unwittingly signed the fate of scores of the learners, who are now lifeless.

Testimonies from parents now reveal the school had delayed opening by a week and that the learners had only been there for two days when the mysterious fire erupted, razing down a dormitory that was housing 156 learners.

When they raised concern about the delayed opening, the parents were told through a WhatsApp platform by the school secretary who, The Standard has been informed, is also a director at the school, that it was a mishap after the Education had released two sets of calendars of education that she attributed the confusion to.

Two days later, the parents received the distressing news that there was smoke billowing from their school. 

By the time they arrived at the school, which has now been cordoned off as a crime scene, 17 children were dead while others, about 70 could not be accounted for, according to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The horrified minors who survived now share with their parents tales and accounts of what happened during the fire amid fears of what the future holds for them.

Catherine Nyawira, the mother of one of the survivors, a Grade 6 pupil aged 12, shared a detailed account of what her son informed her even as she shared her fears that the incident could change the life and education performance for good.

Kenya Red Cross personnel assist the parents. who were overwhelmed after viewing the scene at the Nyeri county's Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county on September 6, 2024 after a fire broke out killing 17 children. [Kibata Kihuu, Standard]

“He said that a few hours after retreating to their beds at 9:30pm, he was awakened and realised he was choking from the smoke from the adjacent row of their dormitory which accommodated all the bed-wetters,” Nyawira said.

Nyawira said according to her son, a watchman who also spends his night at the dormitory was nowhere to be found and that an emergency door had been locked from outside, a move she said could have led to the many fatalities as the pupils could not exit the dorm, as it was where the fire was coming from.

The pupil, joined by others who were woken up by the choking smoke, his mother narrated, started waking others up even as they screamed and beat their boxes for help.

“While some of us were busy waking others, others were busy trying to break the windows and the door for an escape exit and that is how some of us managed to get out from the dormitory whose fire kept growing,” the traumatised minor, who was by his parents, shared.

According to the pupil, there are several dorms in the compound. Some are made of timber while others are constructed with iron sheets and insulated with cardboards inside.

“Some of the dorms, including Savo which normally houses Grade 7 pupils, Amboseli that accommodates Grade 8, Mara which has Grade 5 and below are only partitioned with cardboards but the fire was coming from Serengeti’s main door, which is near the ablution block,” he said.

The pupils who managed to get out of the dormitory rushed to the fire assembly point where they were joined by some of the teachers while others embarked on the rescue mission.

Another parent said the administration of the school was yet to furnish them with their side of the story as they were only relying on what the survivors told them, adding that the school needed to shed more light on a number of issues, including the whereabouts of the watchman who acts as a patron, and the teacher on duty.

“Our children do not remember encountering a guard who was supposed to be inside the school. The director and some teachers who are youthful usually sleep in the school and they need to explain to us how it was not possible to contain the situation,” a parent said.

He added that one of the reasons that made it impossible for the villagers to immediately hear the children's distress calls was an overnight fellowship (kesha) at neighbouring Full Gospel Church as they thought the noise was coming from there.

“Many of the neighbours only woke up after hearing the sirens of the fire extinguishers while others started calling each other informing them of what was going on at the school,” a parent said.

It was then that they rushed to the school and started to desperately look for their loved ones but some who had managed to rescue themselves had gone out with some of the parents of their colleagues.

Homicide detectives gather outside Hillside Endarasha Academy admin block as they wait to establish the fire that has left at least 18 pupils dead and 27 seriously injured. [Amos Kiarie, Standard]

“There was no record of which parents went home with how many pupils. The confusion worsened as some other pupils ran away from school without their guardians and parents,” a parent said.

They said the construction of the dormitory and lack of know-how on first aid could also have contributed to the high number of fatalities.

“The dormitory’s construction does not seem to adhere to any structural design. We also heard one of the pupils with burns had attempted to escape through the window and got stuck. He was rescued by the first responders but others who came after poured water on him as they thought he would be well. Sadly, he later died at the hospital,” said the parent.

The parents also criticised the government for disjointed information and lack of empathy after it brought foodstuff to them as opposed to informing them what they were doing for the injured and how to retrieve the remains still trapped in the debris of the burnt wreckage. 

“We want information on the whereabouts of our children and not food. We can't afford to eat now. We need to know the way forward so that if our children are gone, we may find closure,” John Ndirangu, a parent said.

On Friday, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the government had dispatched foodstuff, which included dry foods and medical kits to respond to the incident as emergency services are still determining the final number of fatalities.

"50 bags of rice and 50 bags of beans are en route via special programmes.100 mattresses and 100 blankets are also being dispatched with an estimated arrival time of 1300 hrs. The Ministry of Health and County Health Department are on site assessing medical needs," Mwaura said.

The Office of First Lady Racheal Ruto donated more food.