Editor's Review

The dorm was set ablaze while students were having breakfast on Thursday morning.

Lang'ata High School students were sent home after the school was closed indefinitely following a fire that broke out in one of the dormitories on Thursday, June 4. 

A member of staff at the institution confirmed that some students retreated to the dormitory and set a mattress on fire while their fellows were having breakfast in the dining hall.

The fire had damaged two cubicles in the dormitory by the time the Nairobi City Fire Department put it out. None of the students was harmed.

"The students broke one of the windows and threw a lit matchstick on one of the beds. Everything in the cubes was burnt down, including the ceiling," the teacher revealed in anonymity.

The teacher disclosed that the students will remain at home for one or two weeks pending investigations into the incident and repairs to the damaged facilities.

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A file photo of the remains of the dormitory that was set ablaze at the Lang'ata High School

Parents and guardians were advised to pick up their sons from the institution. Students left the school in droves, while others waited for their parents at the gate.

Notably, an inter-school sports competition, which was scheduled to take place in the school, went on as planned.

Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrived at the school to probe the cause of the fire.

The school has made available CCTV footage to the detectives. The local area chief also arrived at the school to assess the situation.

Lang'ata High School became the second school to be closed on Thursday morning. Earlier, the Alliance High School closed indefinitely after a fire broke out at the national school.

The Principal explained that the incident occurred in one of the school's old dormitories and assured parents that all learners were safe.

Alliance High School Board of Management Chairperson Sam Ncheeri confirmed that 10 students have been arrested in connection with the fire.

Several schools have reported fire incidents since the Utumishi Girls' Academy Tragedy. Other schools that have closed include Lenana High School, Loreto High School, Limuru,  Kangaru School, and  Kangaru Girls High School