DNA tests to identify children killed in fire

DNA tests will begin on Monday to identify the bodies of children killed in a fire at a Kenyan boarding school, local authorities said.

At least 21 children, with an average age of nine, are said to have died. An official told reporters that some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.

The fire broke out at around 11pm local time on Thursday in a dormitory housing 156 boys at Hillside Endarasha Academy. Firefighters were delayed due to poor roads, but local residents rushed to help with the rescue operation.

Officials say 17 children remain missing. Some parents and relatives camped at the school to demand answers.

Government officials urged anyone helping to rescue the students to bring the children back to school to help with the search.

The Red Cross has set up a search center and offers support to those affected.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Investigators should “assess whether or not the tragedy was due to negligence and/or recklessness,” the attorney general said in a statement.

Director of the Public Prosecution Service Renson Ingonga said the tragedy “brings back bad memories of other similar fires in schools” where failure to comply with safety standards was often highlighted.

It is “a catastrophe beyond our imagination,” said government spokesman Isaac Mwaura at the school on Saturday. “It is truly devastating for the nation to lose so many young and promising Kenyans. Our hearts are heavy.”

Mr Mwaura urged the media not to jump to conclusions about the number of dead, as DNA tests would take several days.

On Saturday, criminal investigators and state pathologists cordoned off the site for investigations.

President William Ruto has declared a three-day national mourning period beginning on Monday.

In recent years, there have been several fires in Kenyan boarding schools, raising concerns about safety standards across the country.

In 2022, a dormitory in western Kenya burned down. Several students were later arrested on suspicion of arson.

In 2017, ten schoolgirls died in an arson attack at Moi Girls High School in the capital Nairobi.

In the worst arson attack on a school in Kenya over 20 years ago, at least 67 students died in Machakos County, southeast of Nairobi.

A report published four years ago warned that many secondary schools in Kenya were not well prepared for fires and did not comply with government safety standards.

The report by the country's Supreme Audit Office shows that many schools did not have the necessary equipment to fight fires and did not meet the required safety standards.