16 students arrested as Kakamega High School closed after dawn fire

 

Kakamega High School was on Saturday closed indefinitely following the dawn fire that gutted two dormitories.

Principal Gerald Orina announced the closure.

The school board was locked up in a meeting for the better part of Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, police confirmed that 16 students had been arrested in the ongoing investigations to the cause of the fire.

Kakamega county police commander Hassan Barua confirmed the arrests.

Details on what role the arrested students may have played in the fire incident remained scant.

The two razed dormitories accommodate 584 students.

No casualties were reported during the fire that broke out in the wee hours as students were already out for morning preps when the fire started.

Orina had earlier said that attempts by the students  to put out the fire were futile.

"No student was injured; it was only their property that was destroyed. I am appealing to parents to remain calm as we investigate the cause of the fire," he said.

Daniel Mutisya, the deputy Kakamega Central police boss, said the fire was put out with the assistance of the fire brigade from the county government of Kakamega.

The Saturday morning fire is the latest in a wave of fires as schools experience unrest.

Principals have said last year's long closure of schools to contain Covid-19 could have sparked the return of arson attacks in secondary schools.

Over the years, the second term of school calendars have been characterised by chaos, with students razing school structures.

Other schools which have experienced fires in the last few weeks are Buruburu Girls, Chavakali Boys in Vihiga county and Kanjuri High School in Nyeri.    BY THE STAR