Government to Cover Bills for Endarasha Academy Fire Victims

The Kenyan government has pledged to cover both medical and funeral expenses for the 21 pupils who tragically lost their lives in a fire at Endarasha Academy last Thursday. This commitment forms part of the government’s broader effort to support the parents and families affected by the devastating incident.

Nyeri County Commissioner and acting Central Region Commissioner, Pius Murugu, announced the government’s initiative during a speech at the Kabiruini Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) showground, where he officiated the opening of this year’s Agricultural Trade Fair. Murugu emphasized the government’s intention to provide psychological and psychosocial support to the grieving parents and all those impacted by the tragedy.

“The Government has taken the initiative to foot all medical bills and provide burial expenses. We are also planning to have a memorial service for all the victims before we dispatch the bodies,” Murugu stated. He also assured the public that a multi-agency security team investigating the cause of the fire will soon conclude its work, allowing the institution to reopen for learners.

Murugu confirmed that out of the 164 pupils who were in the dormitory on the night of the fire, 19 perished at the scene, while two others succumbed to injuries while receiving specialized treatment in hospital. He clarified that all 164 boys present in the dormitory have been accounted for, correcting earlier reports that had estimated the number of boys in the dormitory at 156.

Endarasha Academy, which has a total student population of 824 pupils, operates with both boarding and day scholars. At the time of the incident, there were 330 boarders, including 164 boys and 166 girls.

In a bid to expedite the identification of the victims, the bodies were moved to the Naromoru Level Four Hospital Mortuary to facilitate DNA analysis. All parents who lost their children have since presented themselves at the mortuary for the identification process. Murugu noted that some bodies were burned beyond recognition, making the DNA matching process essential and time-consuming.

“We were able to summon all the bereaved parents to the hospital on Tuesday, where DNA samples were taken to match them with the bodies, allowing us to identify the victims by name. This process will take some time since some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition,” Murugu explained.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the fire’s cause has yet to yield conclusive results. Kenya Power, the country’s main electricity provider, has ruled out an electrical fault as the cause of the fire. According to Nyeri Kenya Power Business Manager, Duncan Machuka, a comprehensive investigation of the school’s power connections revealed no faults in their network.

“Based on the findings of the preliminary analysis of our protection system, from the meter box to the substation where the medium voltage line serving the school emanates from, we have ascertained there was no link between the cause of the fire and any fault on our network as alleged in sections of media reports,” Machuka stated. He added that all utility power installations, including meters, supply cables, earth wires, and transformers, were found intact.

Attention now turns to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), which is responsible for investigating power-related incidents beyond the consumer meter. Kenya Power has committed to continuing its cooperation with EPRA and other investigative bodies to determine the true cause of the fire.

Machuka affirmed, “I am aware our regulator, EPRA, is on the ground conducting investigations, and we are collaborating with them to ascertain the cause. We haven’t conclusively gone beyond that jurisdiction area but have confirmed that there was no link between the fire and our system.”

Initial speculations had pointed to a possible power failure as the cause of the fire, but Kenya Power’s findings have shifted the focus of the ongoing investigation to other potential factors.