CCTV Exposes Four Students Behind Dorm Fire That Shut Down School

A dormitory fire at Magereza Academy in Naivasha has led to the arrest of four students after an incident that destroyed property valued in thousands of shillings and forced the school to shut down operations indefinitely.

The blaze is said to have erupted in the evening hours of May 13.

Fire erupted at about 8 pm inside the school compound found near Naivasha GK Prison.

Despite the attempts by the rescue team from the county fire brigade to contain the fire, a large part of the dormitory had been destroyed with all the students’ property turned to ashes.

Several learners were injured in the process of saving their belongings.

According to investigations that have since commenced on the fire outbreak, some learners are known to have started the fire and are under close observation by the police.

CCTV Evidence Links Students to Incident

According to Parents Association chairperson Lawrence Mogaka, preliminary surveillance analysis played a key role in identifying those allegedly involved.

“CCTV footage clearly placed the four students at the scene during the critical moments of the fire outbreak,” Mogaka stated.

“The individuals were taken in to assist investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in reconstructing the sequence of events,” Mogaka added.

He further noted that most learners had been engaged in evening study sessions when the fire started, but confusion during evacuation led to minor injuries among a few students.

Closure of Institution and Safety Concerns

The school board has since ordered an indefinite closure affecting more than 800 learners.

Officials cited inadequate accommodation structures and the need to facilitate uninterrupted investigations as key reasons for sending students home.

Mogaka explained that the decision was necessary to allow full assessment of the damaged infrastructure and to determine whether the remaining facilities were safe for continued use.

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The Issues Parents Raise Regarding Accountability and Funding

There have been issues raised regarding how the administration managed communication and accountability after the fire occurred.

The first one, by Hanny Munyiri, was that any attempt to make the parents bear the financial burden should be avoided.

He said that there should be other means of funding apart from relying on parent funding in order to restore the building.

Munyiri emphasized the need for those responsible for the fire to be made accountable.

Wilson Njenga, another parent, raised questions regarding communication after the fire occurred.

He said that many parents were worried because they did not receive updates immediately after the fire occurred.

Njenga further stated that there had been other fires previously in the institution.

Also Read:OPINION: The HELB Funding Model Exposes Policy Failure in Kenya’s Education Sector

Police Confirm Arrests and Ongoing Probe

Naivasha Deputy Criminal Investigations Officer Isaac Kiama confirmed that four students had been taken into custody as part of ongoing investigations into suspected arson.

“Four students who are persons of interest have been detained to assist with inquiries into the fire that destroyed property worth thousands,” Kiama said.

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Photo of structures on blaze and firefighter vehicle at Fire scene PHOTO/ The Standard